Technologies

Summary

Researchers have developed a non-invasive method for creating vascular occlusions at specific locations within a vessel using magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS). The speed and efficacy of this approach is better than traditional vascular occlusion methods, and the method can be further enhanced through the use of phase shift nano-droplets.

Addressed Need

Image-guided ultrasound technology has gained wide recognition as an alternative to surgery for the treatment of uterine fibroids, tumors and pain due to a lack of systemic effects that are commonly associated with chemotherapeutic agents or invasive treatments. However, the lack of a fast and efficacious method for vascular occlusion limits MRgFUS usage in applications that are affected by respiratory motion or heat sink effects. This technology overcomes these challenges by using multi-focal targeting and phase-shift nano-droplets to amplify acoustic effects and facilitate vascular occlusion.

Figure 1: A comparison of single-focus ablation (left) and multi-focus ablation (right) shows more effective heating with the multi-focus approach.