Your HIFU treatment, step by step

Back to international patients

A typical treatment week

• Monday Arrival and pre-treatment assessment

  You arrive in Barcelona and have a brain MRI with sedation and a skull CT scan. These scans help the medical team confirm your suitability for HIFU.

• Tuesday · approx. 3:00 pm HIFU treatment

  The procedure takes approximately 3 hours. You are awake inside the MRI scanner, supported by two neurosurgeons, a neurologist and an anaesthesiologist.

  After treatment, a pre-arranged ambulance takes you to Hospital Clínic de Barcelona for overnight observation.

• Wednesday · approx. 10:00 am Assessment and hospital discharge

  Following a medical assessment, you may be discharged if your recovery is progressing as expected.

• Thursday and Friday Recovery in Barcelona

  You stay in the city for recovery and observation, following your medical team's advice.

• Saturday Return home

  Plan to travel home on Saturday. A Friday afternoon departure may be possible if your recovery is favourable and your medical team confirms you are ready to travel.

This is a typical itinerary. Times and travel plans may be adjusted according to your assessment and recovery.

What the quoted price includes

• Preoperative brain MRI, including sedation when appropriate.
• Preoperative skull CT scan.
• HIFU treatment and the medical team: two neurosurgeons, a neurologist and an anaesthesiologist.
• Pre-arranged ambulance transfer from the treatment centre to Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.
• Overnight hospital admission and observation.
• Medical assessment before discharge.
• Remote follow-up at 1 week, 3 weeks, 1 month and 3 months after treatment.

Help with your stay

Our team can help you arrange airport transfers, hotel accommodation, transport between your hotel and the medical centres, and other practical comforts or activities during those days. Let us know what you and your family need.

Additional travel, accommodation and convenience services are not included in the quoted medical price unless explicitly stated. The ambulance transfer to Hospital Clínic is included.

What happens on treatment day

This is what you can typically expect during your MRI-guided focused ultrasound treatment, from your arrival at the centre to your first hours of recovery.

1. Arrival and welcomePlease arrive at the treatment centre at your appointment time. Your surgical team will welcome you and accompany you to the preparation room next to the MRI suite.
2. PreparationThe neuroanaesthesiologist places a small intravenous line in your arm or hand and gives you medication to help you feel more comfortable. Your scalp is shaved again before the positioning frame is fitted.
3. Fitting the stereotactic frameThe frame keeps your head securely in position during treatment. Local anaesthetic is injected at four small points before the frame is fixed to your skull. This step is usually well tolerated, although you may feel brief discomfort from the injections.
4. Initial assessment and positioningThe surgical team and a neurologist specialising in movement disorders assess your symptoms. You then move into the MRI suite, where your head is positioned within the ultrasound treatment helmet. You remain awake during treatment.
5. MRI planning and test sonicationsAn initial MRI scan helps the team identify the treatment target. The first ultrasound applications, called sonications, are delivered at low energy to test your response without creating a permanent lesion. The team checks for improvement in your symptoms and any unwanted effects before proceeding.
6. Treatment and repeated checksOnce the target has been assessed, the team gradually increases the ultrasound energy to create a small treatment lesion at the chosen point. Further applications may be made within and around the target to improve symptom control, and your response is assessed again after each one.
7. Final checksWhen the team considers symptom control satisfactory, treatment is completed. The stereotactic frame is removed and a final MRI scan is performed to assess the treated area and check for immediate complications.
8. Transfer and overnight observationYou are prepared for your pre-arranged ambulance transfer to Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, where you stay under observation overnight.
9. Eating, walking and dischargeYou may be able to eat and walk independently within a few hours, depending on your recovery and the medical team's assessment. Over the following 6 to 24 hours, the team reassesses your symptoms, checks for early complications and decides when you are ready for discharge. You stay in contact with the surgical and medical team until your final return home.

The sequence and timing may be adapted to your needs and your response to treatment.

After you return home

Your treatment includes four remote follow-up appointments: at 1 week, 3 weeks, 1 month and 3 months after the procedure.

Clinical information about the technique, its indications and its risks is on the HIFU page and on the page about HIFU for Parkinson's disease.

Frequently asked questions