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 lipomas that need to be removed. 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 lipoma removal to be accomplished without surgery.
Advantages
The primary option for treatment of lipomas that require removal is invasive surgery.
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 focused ultrasound removal of lipomas.
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement
Removing lipomas with focused ultrasound is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.
Notable Papers
Pham TT, Stokolosa AM, Borden PA, Hansen KD, Hong EM, Krasieva TB, Sivoraphonh RH, Moy WJ, Heidari AE, Lee LH, Kim EH, Sun CH, Jia W, Mo J-, Kim S, Hill MG, Wong BJF. Electrochemical degradation and saponification of porcine adipose tissue. Sci Rep. 2020 Nov 27;10(1):20745. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-76678-y.
Nguyen TT. Plastic Surgery and Cosmetic Procedures: Liposuction and Nonsurgical Fat Reduction Procedures. FP Essent. 2020 Oct;497:23-26.
Atiyeh BS, Chahine F. Evidence-Based Efficacy of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) in Aesthetic Body Contouring. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2021 Apr;45(2):570-578. doi: 10.1007/s00266-020-01863-3. Epub 2020 Jul 23.
Fonseca VM, Campos PS, Certo TF, de-Faria LT, Juliano PB, Cintra DE, Liebano RE, da Silva C, Guidi RM, Sant’Ana E. Efficacy and safety of noninvasive focused ultrasound for treatment of subcutaneous adiposity in healthy women. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2018 Oct;20(6):341-350. doi: 10.1080/14764172.2018.1511907. Epub 2018 Oct 4.
Shemer A1, Brawer S, Amichi B, Azhari H. Noninvasive lipoma size reduction using high-intensity focused ultrasound. Dermatol Surg. 2013 Oct;39(10):1446-51. doi: 10.1111/dsu.12269. Epub 2013 Jul 18.
Singal, A., Janiga, J., Bossenbroek, N. and Lim, H. (2007), Dercum’s disease (adiposis dolorosa): a report of improvement with infliximab and methotrexate. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 21: 717. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3083.2006.02021
Click here for additional references from PubMed.
