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Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Capsulotomy for Treatment-Resistant Psychiatric Disorders.

Authors: Davidson B, Hamani C, Huang Y, Jones RM, Meng Y, Giacobbe P, Lipsman N
Journal: Operative neurosurgery (Hagerstown, Md.)
Capsulotomy Depression Focused ultrasound MRgFUS OCD Psychiatric surgery Psychosurgery High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation Humans Magnetic Resonance Imaging Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric surgery is an important domain of functional neurosurgery and involves deep brain stimulation (DBS) or lesional procedures performed for treatment-resistant psychiatric illness. It has recently become possible to use magnetic-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) to perform bilateral capsulotomy, a lesional technique commonly carried out with surgical radiofrequency ablation or stereotactic radiosurgery. MRgFUS offers several advantages, including improved safety and real-time imaging of the lesions. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and technical aspects of performing bilateral MRgFUS capsulotomy in patients with severe refractory depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. METHODS: We describe the clinical and technical considerations of performing MRgFUS capsulotomy. Topics discussed include patient selection, headframe application, targeting, sonication strategies, and follow-up procedures. RESULTS: MRgFUS capsulotomy was performed in 16 patients without serious clinical or radiographic adverse events. CONCLUSION: MRgFUS allows for a safe, less invasive technique for performing a well-studied psychiatric surgery procedure-the anterior capsulotomy.