National Capital Neurosurgery is the first practice in the Metropolitan Washington DC area to offer high frequency focused ultrasound, a treatment for tremor.

National Capital Neurosurgery Press Release October 17, 2020

The first practice in the Metropolitan Washington DC area to offer high frequency focused ultrasound, a treatment for tremor.

Dr. Zachary Levine, in conjunction with Children’s National Medical Center Department of Neurosurgery, has established the first MRI guided Focused Ultrasound unit for the treatment of movement disorders in the Washington DC metropolitan area.  Dr. Levine is well-known as a functional neurosurgeon treating Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and dystonia.  He has an established reputation as a key opinion leader in the field of deep brain stimulation.  With his experience in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery for the treatment of movement disorders and epilepsy, he now offers this new treatment, which has recently been approved by Medicare for essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. 

Dr. Levine strives to stay ahead of the curve in the management of neurosurgical disease and processes. With 20 years performing deep brain stimulation, Dr. Levine, has the most experience in the Metropolitan DC area.  He is the only adult neurosurgeon offering laser ablation for epilepsy in our region. Dr. Levine investigates and embraces new technology, ensuring the highest quality of care and most modern neurosurgical treatment for our region.  MRI guided Focused Ultrasound is that next step and is now available to our community. Once again, he is a first-mover in this exciting field.

Focused ultrasound (FUS) or high-frequency ultrasound (HiFu) is a method of treating tremor without a surgical incision.  It is an outpatient procedure done under local anesthesia, and may be another avenue to pursue when tremor becomes disabling and resistant to medical therapy.   Unlike deep brain stimulation, there are no surgical incisions and no implanted hardware.  There is no hospital stay and no frequent programming visits or maintenance of a battery/pulse generator.  This technology is representative of a truly remarkable step forward in the evolution of functional neurosurgery.

If you are interested in further information, please contact National Capital Neurosurgery.  Dr. Levine is more than happy to see you in consultation and discuss your options. Offices are located in Rockville, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia.  Focused ultrasound is reimbursed by Medicare.