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| Vol. 24, No. 7 |
| April 15, 2002 |
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"Point and Shoot" Ultrasound on the Horizon by LIESL OWENS National Space Biomedical Research Institute The development of a device that will one day kill tumors and stop internal bleeding without knives, scalpels or stitches – basically without surgery as we know it – is being funded by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, along with the Department of Defense. The institute is a consortium of 12 institutions, including Baylor College of Medicine, that are studying health consequences of long-duration space flights. Information learned is expected to benefit patients on Earth, as well as astronauts. The institute is studying high-intensity focused ultrasound, or HIFU, devices which work by targeting ultrasound in precise locations for noninvasive surgical treatments. Using diagnostic ultrasound to image a problem area, tumor site, or internal trauma injury, a physician can then "point and shoot" a HIFU transducer and destroy unwanted tissue or cauterize a lesion or blood vessel. "With HIFU, we increase the amplitude of the ultrasound. Instead of dispersing the ultrasound in a fan-like arrangement, which gives you internal images, we focus the ultrasound like a magnifying glass," said Dr. Lawrence Crum, associate team leader for the institute’s Smart Medical Systems team. "The HIFU transducer will increase the intensity of the ultrasound and focus it to generate heat inside the body with pinpoint accuracy. So the treatment doesn’t affect surrounding tissue," Dr. Crum said. The HIFU device is being developed for use in remote areas or on battlefields where traditional treatment is not possible. Once developed, it will be ideal for ambulance and emergency room applications as well. "We’ve developed devices that have been used to stop bleeding and treat tumors. These are not yet approved for human use," said Dr. Crum, who is director of the Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory. This method of treatment would have made a big difference, he said, had it been available to Dr. Jerri Nielsen, the doctor at a South Pole research station who developed a malignant breast tumor. Dr. Crum cautions that the HIFU transducer is still in the research phase and is far from being ready for human trials. But, the team is encouraged by the development of similar technology in Asian and European countries. Chinese researchers have treated more than 25 different types of cancer in 5,000 people, including pancreatic cancer. The group is developing a version of the HIFU transducer for use on space missions, and is looking at the long-term effects of the transducer on tissue, as well as overcoming any problems of using the device in space.
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