Treatment of alcohol use disorder via magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound ablation surgery

TL;DR

A noninvasive surgery using focused ultrasound reduced a man's severe alcohol addiction and improved his mental health with no major side effects.

Contribution

This is the first reported case of MRgFUS targeting the nucleus accumbens for treating alcohol use disorder.

Findings

Bilateral nucleus accumbens MRgFUS reduced alcohol craving from 6 to 0 in a 54-year-old man with AUD.

The patient remained abstinent for 12 months post-treatment with improvements in depression, anxiety, and quality of life.

No serious adverse effects were observed during the 12-month follow-up period.

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a problematic pattern of drinking that can cause significant impairment or distress. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a novel noninvasive technique permitting incision-less ablative treatment, which may be effective for AUD.

We present the case of a 54-year-old man diagnosed with AUD for 30 years. After bilateral nucleus accumbens (NAc) MRgFUS, his craving for alcohol decreased markedly from 6 to 0, and he remained abstinent throughout the follow-up (12 months). Moreover, psychiatric and neuropsychological assessments showed improvements in depression, anxiety, sleep, and quality of life. Besides, he did not have any serious adverse effects during the whole follow-up period.

This case report suggests the feasibility and potential of NAc ablation via MRgFUS in treating severe AUD. Subsequent multi-sample double-blind controlled trials need to be further studied. The effect of MRgFUS on the use disorders of other substances also requires further research.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13722-025-00644-0.

Figures