For the first time, focused ultrasound has been used successfully in the treatment of a brain tumor, according to the Focused Ultrasound Foundation (FUSF).
The FUSF reported that the adult patient has a recurrent glioma, a portion of which was ablated using the MRI-guided ExAblate Neuro system from InSightec.
The procedure was done to assess the feasibility and safety of focused ultrasound to treat brain tumors. The FUSF emphasized that the procedure was not designed to evaluate efficacy of the technology.
The procedure took place at the FUS Center of University Children's Hospital Zurich and was led by Dr. Javier Fandino, a professor of neuroradiology at Kantonsspital Aarau in Switzerland, and Dr. Ernst Martin, a professor of neuroradiology at University Children's Hospital Zurich.
According to Fandino, the patient was awake and responsive during treatment and physicians were able to target and treat a part of the tumor located deep in the patient's brain.
Martin described the ability of focused ultrasound to handle neurosurgery, as well as small lesions and bulk lesions for tumor ablation, as "amazing."
