The tremor that had affected Saudi patient Ahmed al-Zahrani's hand for nearly 10 years stopped immediately after a neural focus in his brain was targeted during a delicate operation performed by Dr Ali Salah, a neurosurgery consultant at Suez Canal University. Footage posted by the surgeon, with the patients' consent, documented procedures targeting tremors associated with Parkinson's disease and attracted widespread engagement on social media.
A fine probe targets the thalamic nucleus
Salah explained that the surgical procedure involves inserting a fine probe through a small opening in the skull and guiding it to a specific area of the brain known as the thalamic nucleus. Once the targeted site is reached, the focus responsible for the neural signals causing the tremor is treated with thermal ablation.
Patients undergoing this type of operation receive local anaesthesia rather than being kept asleep, and remain awake and able to speak with the medical team. The surgeon asks them to move their hands and feet during the procedure to confirm that the intended area has been reached, while monitoring motor and speech functions and avoiding any impact on them.
During the operation, footage of which spread across social media platforms, the tremor in al-Zahrani's hand disappeared immediately. The rapid change attracted viewers' attention, as the patient was seen responding to the doctor's instructions in the operating theatre while the team monitored the effect of targeting the neural focus.
Advanced imaging identifies the neural focus
Salah said identifying the target area is preceded by highly precise planning based on magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography scans and surgical navigation systems. These tools make it possible to determine the coordinates of the focus to be reached with accuracy down to fractions of a millimetre before the probe is passed through and thermal ablation is carried out.
Followers from different countries shared the footage, while some recalled personal experiences with similar procedures. A follower named Douglas wrote that he had undergone a similar successful operation eight years earlier in Pennsylvania, United States, explaining that the tremor had prevented him from holding a cup steady and that the medical intervention had completely changed his life.
Said said he had seen a similar case involving the father of one of his friends several years ago. The man was 72 and had Parkinson's disease. He added that the tremor disappeared completely after the operation. Amr, meanwhile, focused in his comment on the sensitivity of such surgeries, stressing that the doctor's work requires extreme precision because, as he put it, any minor error could result in permanent disability.
Thermal ablation is not the latest available technique for treating tremors, as another technique uses focused ultrasound guided by magnetic resonance imaging. This method makes it possible to target the specified area inside the brain without the need for a surgical incision.
