Focused Ultrasound Therapy
Focused ultrasound is a rapidly evolving, therapeutic technology that could transform the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with premature ovarian insufficiency. 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, low intensity focused ultrasound treatment of the ovaries can increase the activation of the ovarian follicles in preclinical studies. This has been seen in a couple of preclinical models, but there is still much to be done before this technology will be widely available.
The primary options for treatment of premature ovarian insufficiency are very limited, so this option would be an added help to those facing this condition.
For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a welcome addition to conventional therapy.
Advantages
- Focused ultrasound is non-invasive, so it does not carry added concerns like surgical wound healing or infection.
- Focused ultrasound can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue.
- It can be repeated, if necessary.
Clinical Trials
At the present time, there are no clinical trials recruiting patients for focused ultrasound treatment of premature ovarian insufficiency.
The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/.
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement
Focused ultrasound treatment for premature ovarian insufficiency is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.
Notable Papers
Xiao Y, Yang L, Wang Y, Wang Y, Chen Y, Lu W, Pei Z, Zhang R, Ye Y, Ji X, Liu S, Dong X, Xu Y, Feng Y. Pulsed Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (LIFU) Activation of Ovarian Follicles. IEEE Open J Eng Med Biol. 2024 Apr 26;5:316-329. doi: 10.1109/OJEMB.2024.3391939. eCollection 2024. PMID: 38766542
Ling L, Hou J, Wang Y, Shu H, Huang Y. Effects of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound on the Migration and Homing of Human Amnion-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Ovaries in Rats With Premature Ovarian Insufficiency. Cell Transplant. 2022 Jan-Dec;31:9636897221129171. doi: 10.1177/09636897221129171. PMID: 36282038
Tang H, Liu Y, Fan Y, Li C. Therapeutic Effects of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound on Premature Ovarian Insufficiency. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2021 Aug;47(8):2377-2387. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2021.04.022. Epub 2021 Jun 2.PMID: 34088530
Click here for additional references from PubMed.