Focused ultrasound (FUS) could:
- be the ultimate form of noninvasive surgery
- destroy tumors without making any incisions and without harm to other organs
- replace the need for most radiation treatments
- transform pharmacological therapy by delivering drugs precisely where needed without harm to the rest of the body
- dissolve blood clots and restore flow through blocked vessels
Focused ultrasound is currently:
- clinically approved for the treatment of uterine fibroids and pain from bone cancer (in Europe)
- in clinical trials for the treatment of essential tremor as well as brain and breast cancer
- being investigated for the treatment of prostate cancer, stroke, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and more
Focused ultrasound is a breakthrough technology resulting from the marriage of high intensity focused ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging technologies.
Focused ultrasound, to concentrate up to 1000 intersecting beams of ultrasound energy with extreme precision on a target deep in the body as small as 1 mm in diameter, much like a magnifying glass can focus multiple beams of light on a single point. Where each individual beam of focused ultrasound passes through the tissue, it has no effect. But where the beams converge on the target they have an effect, just as the converging beams of light will burn a hole in a leaf.
Magnetic resonance imaging, to identify and target tissue to be treated, to guide the treatment interactively in real time, and to provide immediate confirmation of the effectiveness of the therapy.
It can take many years for a new medical technology to be widely adopted and available to patients everywhere. Because of the enormous potential of focused ultrasound to benefit millions of patients, it is vital that full adoption of this technology into regular clinical practice be accelerated.
