What is the Sonablate® 500 and How Does it Treat Prostate Cancer?

The Sonablate® 500 (SB500) is a non invasive medical device, developed by Focus Surgery Inc.(Indianapolis, IN) that uses High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) to treat prostate cancer and BPH.

The Sonablate® is the only HIFU device for prostate cancer that does not regularly require a TURP procedure prior to treatment in order to achieve effective results.

The Sonablate® uses a single transducer to obtain real-time images of the prostate during treatment and provide treatment in three treatment zones from top to bottom, and two treatment zones from side to side. The Sonablate® software allows the surgeon to customize each of the six treatment zones in order to safely ablate the entire gland.

This image illustrates in the Sector (Transverse) and Linear (Longitudinal) view how the Sonablate® 500 HIFU beam is precisely focused and delivered into the prostate gland. (image courtesy of Takai Hospital Supply Co., Japan)

The technology behind the device originated at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis in the 1970s. It was further developed in leading research centers across the globe.

Non invasive prostate disease therapy with the SB500 begins with IMAGING of the prostate. The physician is able to plan the treatment with the Simul-PlanTMTherapy Planning which allows the selection of specific areas for treatment.

With HIFU, physicians can select targeted tissue, and with the click of a mouse initiate split beam HIFU which is emitted through the same transducer used for treatment planning.

When the physician has planned where the ultrasound energy will be delivered, he starts therapy with the click of a button. To read more about HIFU outcomes in countries outside of the United States, click here.

For more details about prostate cancer treatment with the Sonablate® 500 visit Focus Surgery online at www.focus-surgery.com.