Tag: Parkinson’s

Arlington man finds rapid relief from Parkinson’s with new incision‑free treatment

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black and white photo of a medical equipment

For one Arlington man, a new incision‑free treatment brought relief in a matter of seconds. Retired salesman and Air Force veteran Bud Levell, 72, has spent most of his life repairing old radios, machines and anything with wires. The work has always required steady hands – something Parkinson’s slowly took from him. “I lost my sense of smell 11 or 12 years ago. That’s usually the first symptom,” Levell said. “And under certain stressful conditions, I had a little tremor in the right hand.” New treatment offers new hope As his symptoms worsened, Levell came across an article about a new ultrasound‑based treatment. 

“Someone sent me a text with a link to a magazine article that was talking about this ultrasound process,” he said. “I read it and said, ‘This sounds good.'” That link eventually led him to UT Southwestern Medical Center, where doctors determined he was a strong candidate for Magnetic Resonance‑guided focused ultrasound. The FDA recently approved an expanded version of the treatment that targets more Parkinson’s symptoms, including tremors and slowed movement. “We’re using a higher energy to destroy small tracts in the brain, or small bundles of nerves,” said Dr. Bhavya R. Shah, who leads the focused ultrasound program at UT Southwestern. Shah says the procedure targets a precise area deep in the brain – about the size of a grain of rice – without the need for an incision. 

Source: Arlington man finds rapid relief from Parkinson’s with new incision‑free treatment – CBS Texas

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