High-intensity Focused Ultrasound Therapy: an Overview for Radiologists

Overview

Journal Korean J Radiol

Specialty Radiology

Date 2008 Aug 7

PMID 18682666

Citations 55

Authors

Young-Sun Kim

Hyunchul Rhim

Min Joo Choi

Hyo Keun Lim

Dongil Choi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

High-intensity focused ultrasound therapy is a novel, emerging, therapeutic modality that uses ultrasound waves, propagated through tissue media, as carriers of energy. This completely non-invasive technology has great potential for tumor ablation as well as hemostasis, thrombolysis and targeted drug/gene delivery. However, the application of this technology still has many drawbacks. It is expected that current obstacles to implementation will be resolved in the near future. In this review, we provide an overview of high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy from the basic physics to recent clinical studies with an interventional radiologist's perspective for the purpose of improving the general understanding of this cutting-edge technology as well as speculating on future developments.

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