For Arlington resident Bud Levell, a brain procedure that never breaks the skin all but erased his Parkinson’s hand tremor in a matter of moments. The 72-year-old says he is already back at his workbench fixing radios for the first time in nine years.
How the incision-free procedure works
Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound, or MRgFUS, concentrates ultrasound waves through the skull under MRI guidance to create a tiny, precisely targeted lesion without cutting the scalp, according to the American Journal of Neuroradiology. In July 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the device’s indication to allow staged treatment on both sides of the brain, so it can address tremor, slowness and stiffness, according to Insightec. The Michael J. Fox Foundation notes that this bilateral approach targets the pallidothalamic tract, is irreversible, and may take time to gain broader insurance coverage.
UT Southwestern’s program and the doctor
Levell was evaluated and treated at UT Southwestern’s Transcranial-Focused Ultrasound Lab, according to the medical center’s provider profile for the program leader. In a segment by CBS News Texas, Dr. Bhavya R. Shah, who heads the lab, explained, “We’re using a higher energy to destroy small tracts in the brain,” adding that the brain target is about the size of “a grain of rice.”
Immediate results for a local patient
The impact on Levell was almost instantaneous. When doctors checked on his tremor during the procedure, he responded, “What tremor?” and later called the experience emotional, CBS News Texas reported. He also shared that he had lost his sense of smell years earlier and said he plans to lean on his faith as he adjusts to having steady hands again.
Who might qualify and what to expect
Focused ultrasound is generally offered to people whose motor symptoms are not adequately controlled by medication or who want to avoid implanted devices such as deep-brain stimulation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation explains. Clinical guidance and review articles indicate that candidacy depends on factors such as symptom pattern, skull density and overall health, and they note that short-term side effects like imbalance or numbness can occur but often resolve. Centers emphasize thorough screening and follow-up, according to the American Journal of Neuroradiology, and many academic programs perform the procedure on an outpatient basis with most patients going home the same day…