Patients remain awake during MRgFUS to provide real-time neurological feedback, ensuring the ultrasound beams accurately target brain tissue responsible for tremors. This conscious state allows surgeons to monitor speech, motor skills, and sensations immediately, preventing permanent damage to adjacent healthy brain structures during the thermal ablation process.
- Real-time targeting: Surgeons perform test sonications while patients draw or move to confirm tremor suppression.
- Neurological safety: Immediate reporting of tingling or numbness helps avoid off-target heating near critical nerves.
- Instant assessment: Patients perform tasks like touching their nose to verify millimetric accuracy before permanent lesions.
- Emergency control: Conscious patients hold a stop button to instantly halt the procedure if discomfort occurs.
Bookimed Expert Insight: While patients remain awake, experience levels vary significantly among practitioners. Leading Turkish specialists like Dr. Ali Zirh and Dr. Mehmet Tonge have performed over 1,400 movement disorder procedures each. This high volume is critical because an experienced team can interpret your `awake` feedback much faster, often reducing the total time spent inside the MRI scanner.
Patient Consensus: Patients describe the experience as a warm buzz or tapping sensation while chatting with the medical team. Most felt more secure staying conscious, as it allowed them to practice simple signals like hand squeezes to confirm their comfort throughout the process.
