Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasonic energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the brain without damaging surrounding normal tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How it Works<\/strong> Advantages<\/strong> Focused ultrasound has the potential to provide an alternative to invasive surgery or radiosurgery via precise thermal ablation, or to augment drug therapy. It is noninvasive and has reduced risk for infection and blood clots. Focused ultrasound can also offer precise targeting to minimize damage to non-targeted healthy brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clinical trial<\/a><\/strong> using low intensity focused ultrasound is recruiting patients with OCD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A <\/strong>clinical trial<\/strong><\/a> in Taiwan is recruiting patients with OCD by invitation only for treatment with the Insightec device. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here<\/strong><\/a>, it will take you to the latest information available from https:\/\/www.clinicaltrials.gov\/<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) of the desired target which treats OCD without incisions or radiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Current treatments for OCD include medications, surgery (radiofrequency or laser ablation, deep brain stimulation), or stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife, linear accelerator), all of which have limitations and side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\nClinical Trials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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