Clinical application of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound in Parkinson’s disease: a meta‐analysis of randomized clinical trials

Background To evaluate the safety and efficacy of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods The databases of Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched for eligible randomized controlled trials comparing focused ultrasound surgery (FUS) group vs. sham procedure group in PD. Weighted mean differences and standardized mean differences with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were used to summarize the primary outcome, namely, the effect of MRgFUS to improve limb tremor in PD patients and adverse events, and the secondary outcome, which is the effect of MRgFUS in improving the quality of life, activities of daily living, and non-motor symptoms. Results The pooled analysis comprised 2 studies. The blinded phase lasted for 4 months in one experiment and up to 3 months in the other. The FUS group showed significant improvement in limb tremor on the treated side (SMD: − 1.20; 95% CI: − 2.06, − 0.34) and the ability to perform daily activities (SMD: − 0.86; 95% CI: − 1.41, − 0.32) compared to the sham group, but there were no significant group differences in other indicators. Of the process-related adverse events, dizziness (OR: 4.68; 95% CI: 1.20, 18.23) was more common in the treatment group, with no group differences in the remaining adverse events. Conclusions These findings suggest beneficial effects of MRgFUS in PD patients with no serious side effects. Larger multicenter studies are needed in the future to select the most appropriate target and surgical device setup parameters.