Other Indications of the Haifu System

Clinical applications of the Haifu System

HIFU may be used to successfully treat soft-tissue sarcoma, pancreatic cancer and renal cell carcinoma. It may be used with curative intent in localised or locally advanced tumors, or with palliative intent in more advanced disease. In this latter group, HIFU may be the last resort after standard therapies such as surgery, radio and chemotherapy have failed. HIFU may impede tumour growth and relieve pain of malignant origin therefore improving quality of life. HIFU can be used in benign tumours such as uterine fibroids. Clinical results indicate HIFU is safe, effective and feasible in the treatment of solid benign tumours.

Fig.1 Gadiolinium-enhanced TI-weighted MR images obtained from a 66-year-old patient with renal cancer in a solitary kidney: A) Coronal image pre-HIFU showing contrast enhancement within the tumour (arrow); B) 2 weeks post-HIFU. Absent contrast uptake within the target tumour (arrow), indicating coagulation necrosis.