The Marriage of MRI and Focused Ultrasound Generates New Surgical and Therapeutic Techniques
A new alternative to invasive surgery has been found in MRgFUS (Magnetic Resonance Imaging guided Focused Ultrasound), which combines advanced ultrasound machine technologies with MRI. This new technique is also being used as an alternative to radiation therapy and way to deliver drugs with extreme precision, all of which will mean faster recovery and better outcomes for patients.
Like many other recent advances in ultrasound technology, MRgFUS will undoubtedly be a catalyst for change in many fields of healthcare. By using very high frequency ultrasound waves, it will allow doctors to perform delicate surgeries without an incision or anesthesia. Ablating tumors and tissues externally reduces the risk of infection and other complications while improving patient outcomes, and it can even be performed on an outpatient basis. Most patients can resume their normal activities within a few days.
MR-guided ultrasound machine surgery works by concentrating a multitude of intersecting beams of energy on a target that is as tiny as one mm in diameter with extreme precision. It can be used to identify very specific tissues to be targeted and treat those areas in real time, while also providing instant confirmation on a treatment’s effectiveness.
Three areas where MR-guided focused ultrasound will be used include tissue ablation, targeted drug delivery and dissolving clots. Tissue ablation using MRgFUS allows doctors to destroy tumors and other tissues without altering any surrounding tissues, and it can do this with far greater precision than radiation therapy. As a drug-delivery technique, MR-guided focused ultrasound concentrates a specific drug formula, such as chemotherapy agents, antibiotics or genes, directly to the tissues where they are needed, which prevents systemic toxicity. For dissolving clots, MRgFUS can rapidly remove any obstructions to blood flow in a patient’s arteries, thereby minimizing the destructive effects from a stroke or coronary artery disease.






