Histotripsy ultrasound technology liquifies cancer tissue without using heat or radiation and without causing any damage to healthy cells.
Ultrasound imaging has long been used to locate and target tumors, as well as determine the volume of tissue to be treated. Now, physicians can use that data to program the histotripsy machine to generate precisely focused ultrasound waves targeting otherwise unresectable liver tumors.
Those waves create a bubble cloud inside the tumor that disrupts and destroys only the cancerous tissue. The technology preserves the surrounding healthy liver tissue, along with critical blood vessels and other structures that support normal liver function, even if they are inside the tumor or in the path of the ultrasound beams.
During a histotripsy procedure:
- A soft, flexible membrane is positioned over the area where your liver is and is filled with degassed water. The water helps the sound waves from the device pass to the target treatment area.
- Ultrasound imaging is used to locate the tumor and determine the size of the area that needs to be treated.
- Histotripsy therapy is delivered while your doctor monitors the treatment area in real time using diagnostic ultrasound.
Because histotripsy is an outpatient procedure, most patients can return home the same day with minimal discomfort and quickly return to normal activities.
Our interventional radiologists are leaders in the use of the most advanced and minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment techniques. The expertise and quality of care that our team provides is unmatched in Orange County and elsewhere in the Southern California region.
As an academic health system, UCI Health is at the leading edge of cancer care. We were the first NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center and academic health system in California to offer groundbreaking histotripsy procedures to liver cancer patients.
Our physicians and surgeons at the UCI Health Chao Digestive Health Institute and Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center are board-certified, nationally recognized experts who take a multispecialty approach to prevent, diagnose and treat the most challenging digestive diseases and cancers.
From medical therapies to surgery to clinical trials, our doctors work together in multispecialty teams to create personalized treatment plans for each patient.
For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call us at 833-456-2788.
