HIFU Treatment: What You Need to Know
High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a type of cancer treatment that uses sound waves to kill cancer cells. Sound waves can be focused on a very small area, which makes them useful for treating cancer.
HIFU is most commonly used to treat prostate cancer, but it can also be used to treat other types of cancer, such as pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and breast cancer.
HIFU treatment is usually done as an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the same day. The procedure usually takes less than 2 hours.
Before the procedure, you will be given a sedative to help you relax. You will lie on your back on a table. A gel will be placed on your skin over the area where the sound waves will be focused. A special device that produces sound waves will then be positioned over the gel. The device will emit sound waves that travel through the gel and your body.
Your doctor may have you drink a lot of fluids before the procedure to help prevent kidney stones.
Your doctor may also give you a medication to help you relax.
An ultrasound is a medical procedure that uses sound waves to look at areas inside the body. It is also called sonography.
Ultrasound is used to look at organs, blood vessels, tendons, muscles, joints, and to check a baby’s development in the womb.
Ultrasound can be used to look at almost any part of the body. It is a painless procedure that does not use ionizing radiation (such as x-rays). Because ultrasound images are captured in real-time, they can show movement of the body’s internal organs as well as blood flowing through blood vessels.
During the procedure, the sound waves will be focused on the cancer cells. The sound waves will heat up and kill the cancer cells.
After the procedure, you will be taken to a recovery room to rest. You may have some side effects, such as pain, blood in your urine, and burning when you urinate. These side effects are usually mild and go away within a few days.