Skull Factors Affecting Outcomes of Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound for Patients with Essential Tremor

PURPOSE: Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy has become a standard treatment for medically intractable essential tremor (ET). Skull density ratio (SDR) and skull volume in patients with ET are currently considered useful indicators of the successful application of MRgFUS. We compared the clinical outcomes of MRgFUS thalamotomy with SDR above 0.4 and 0.45. We also described patterns of SDR and skull volume in Korean patients with ET who were eligible to be screened for MRgFUS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In screening 318 ET patients, we evaluated patterns of skull density and skull volume according to age and sex. Fifty patients with ET were treated with MRgFUS. We investigated the effects of SDR and skull volume on treatment parameters and the outcomes of ET. RESULTS: The mean SDR of the 318 ET patients was 0.45±0.11, and that for skull volume was 315.74±40.95 cm(3). The male patients had a higher SDR than female patients (p=0.047). Skull volume significantly decreased with aging. SDR and skull volume exhibited a linear negative relationship. Among therapeutic parameters, maximal temperature was positively related to SDR, while sonication number was not related to either SDR or skull volume. Tremor outcome was also not related to SDR or skull volume. CONCLUSION: SDR varied widely from 0.11 to 0.73, and men had a higher SDR. Therapeutic parameters and clinical outcomes were not affected by SDR or skull volume.