HIFU Symposium a Great Success

Recently installed on the 3T MRI in the Lucas Center, MR-guided HIFU was developed by InSightec and is a promising technique for the next generation of non-invasive therapy systems. With this technology, ultrasound energy is focused at a point deep within the body. One very exciting use is the thermal ablation of targeted tissue. This can be done with minimal heat deposition at the skin surface and without skin puncture or incision. MRI temperature imaging provides real-time control of the treatment.

The symposium featured leading world experts who described their experiences, current projects, and vision for the future. The talks covered HIFU applications for uterine fibroids, the prostate, the neurological system, the liver, the spleen, general abdominal tumors, and the bone. A hands-on session focusing on uterine fibroids (currently the only FDA approved technique) followed the symposium. This technology offers great potential for replacing invasive procedures and providing therapeutic alternatives to millions of patients.

We were delighted to welcome over 100 faculty, students, and residents from throughout the SOM to our event. The audience included representation from the Departments of Urology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Comparative Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Otolaryngology, Pathology, Orthopedics, Surgery, and, of course, Radiology. From outside the University we had attendees from Hewlett Packard (HP); General Electric (GE); the Lahey Clinic; the University of California, San Francisco; the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and the Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation.

Within our own faculty, Kim Butts Pauly, PhD, Graham Sommer, MD, Rusty Hofmann, MD, Bob Herfkens, MD, and Bruce Daniel, MD, have begun to develop research programs utilizing HIFU.

For more information, please visit the following links:
The original program: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/radiology/focusedultrasound/
Insightec: http://www.insightec.com/