High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, commonly known as HIFU, is a non-invasive therapeutic ultrasound technology that utilizes focused ultrasonic beams to ablate tumorous and diseased tissue deep within the body without making any incisions in the skin. By concentrating ultrasound energy deposition at precisely targeted focal spots, HIFU is able to heat and destroy diseased tissue through ablation, cell death, and coagulative necrosis while leaving surrounding healthy tissue undamaged.

How does HIFU work?
HIFU works by concentrating ultrasound waves transmitted from a transducer probe placed on the skin surface. The transducer contains piezoelectric crystals that convert electrical energy into ultrasonic sound waves. These ultrasonic beams pass harmlessly through intervening healthy tissues and focus their energy at the targeted tumor site, raising the temperature high enough to instantaneously coagulate and destroy the abnormal cells through ablation. Temperatures above 65°C cause irreversible cell death through coagulative necrosis while avoiding damage to surrounding tissues which are spared due to heat dissipation. Typical treatment uses acoustic intensities ranging from 500 to 10000 W/cm2 and frequencies between 0.8 to 3.5 MHz.

What conditions can HIFU treat?
Since its introduction in the 1990s, High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound has been investigated as a therapeutic option for a variety of benign and malignant conditions, both solid and non-solid tumors, especially in cases where minimally invasive treatment is preferred over surgery. Some of the most common applications of HIFU include:

Prostate Cancer: As a focal therapy aimed at treating localized prostate cancer, HIFU ablates tumorous prostate tissue sparing surrounding structures like nerves and muscles to preserve urinary and sexual functions.
Uterine Fibroids: Non-cancerous muscular tumors developing in the wall of the uterus can be effectively treated using HIFU to relieve chronic pelvic pain and heavy bleeding associated with fibroids.
Bone Metastases: HIFU can palliate pain from metastases to bone from cancers like breast and prostate by ablating diseased bone and tissue, without affecting surrounding healthy bone.
Thyroid Nodules: Benign thyroid nodules causing discomfort in the neck or difficulty swallowing are amenable to HIFU treatment.
Pancreatic Cancer: For locally advanced unrespectable pancreatic cancer, HIFU could provide pain relief and local tumor control when used with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Liver Cancer: Both primary and secondary liver cancers are being explored for treatment with HIFU, with promising results for tumor ablation and increased survival.

HIFU combines the ablative effectiveness of therapies like surgery and radiofrequency ablation with enhanced precision, minimal invasiveness, and real-time tissue monitoring - promising greater treatment accessibility for an expanding range of benign and malignant conditions.

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