Focused Ultrasound Therapy
Focused ultrasound is a rapidly evolving, noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with malignant obstructive jaundice. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.
How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) enabling malignant obstructive jaundice to be treated noninvasively.
Advantages
The primary options for treatment of malignant obstructive jaundice include endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).
For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as surgical wound healing or infection – at a lower cost. It can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary.
Clinical Trials
At the present time, there are no clinical trials recruiting patients for treatment of malignant obstructive jaundice.
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement
Focused ultrasound treatment for malignant obstructive jaundice is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.
Notable Papers
Niu S1, Cheng L, Qiao Y, Fu YF, Cao C. Combined Stent Insertion and High-intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation for Patients With Malignant Obstructive Jaundice. Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2016 Oct 25.
Wang K, Zhu H, Meng Z, Chen Z, Lin J, Shen Y, Gao H. Safety evaluation of high-intensity focused ultrasound in patients with pancreatic cancer. Onkologie. 2013;36(3):88-92. doi: 10.1159/000348530.
Click here for additional references from PubMed.
