Focused Ultrasound Therapy
Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with liver alveococcosis. 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 can produce precise ablation (thermal destruction of the tissue) enabling alveococcosis to be treated and then removed with a percutaneous drainage tube. This approach can avoid open surgery.
Advantages
The primary options for treatment of liver alveococcosis include medication and 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 treatment of liver alveococcosis.
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement
Focused ultrasound treatment for liver alveococcosis is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.
Notable Papers
Zhampeissov N, Manap E, Rustemova K, Fedotovskikh G, Tuganbekov T, Imankulov S, Gaipov A. High-intensity focused ultrasound ablation: a non-surgical approach to treat advanced and complicated liver alveococcosis. J Med Ultrason (2001). 2018 Oct 23. doi: 10.1007/s10396-018-0914-x.
Imankulov SB, Fedotovskikh GV, Zhampeissov NK, Yerlan M, Shaimardanova GM, Knaub LV. Treatment of liver alveococcosis with high-intensity focused ultrasound. Ultrason Sonochem. 2015 Nov;27:707-711. doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2015.05.022. Epub 2015 May 27.
Click here for additional references from PubMed.