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 a ureterocele. 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 cavitation (histotripsy) to achieve tissue fractionation (punctures) in a tissue model of a preclinical ureterocele wall. More research is needed to establish the safety and efficacy of this procedure before proceeding to clinical trials.
Advantages
The primary options for treatment of a ureterocele 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 treatment of ureterocele.
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement
Focused ultrasound treatment for ureterocele is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.
Notable Papers
Maxwell AD, Hsi RS, Bailey MR, Casale P, Lendvay TS. Noninvasive ureterocele puncture using pulsed focused ultrasound: an in vitro study. J Endourol. 2014 Mar;28(3):342-6.
Click here for additional references from PubMed.