The word HIFU meaning high intensity focused ultrasound refers to a form of therapy administered by Central Florida HIFU professionals from Urology Health Solutions, Inc. that employs the use of high sonic energy that is concentrated on target cells usually cells with cancers both malignant and benign with an objective of destroying them by the heat generated. This process also referred to as ablation therapy is used by that is used by many HIFU surgeons. It is usually used with other imaging techniques like MRI to ensure precision therefore avoiding damage to normal tissues.

Recently the surgeons are turning to the use of cryotherapy which is lesser painful with less likelihood of causing injury. Cryotherapy is the use of extremely cold temperature to freeze and therefore damage the abnormal cells. It involves directing an ablative needle to target tissue which then administers highly compressed argon gas that is alternated with helium gas. The argon gas has a very high cooling effect that causes the tip of the needle to become ice cold and thus freezing all the surrounding tissues.

Once helium is exchanged, it has a slightly warming effect that causes the tissues that had been frozen to slowly thaw. This produces a cycle of extreme freezing alternating with warming. The cycle is repeated for some time to ensure no tumor cell survives the process.

The aim of cryosurgical ablation therapy is to cause very rapid freezing that the exposed cells are strained and fail to get the time to slowly adjust to the low temperatures and the cause them to thaw slowly. When temperatures are lowered to below zero degrees, there is formation of ice crystals outside the cells. This causes shrinking and damage to the integrity if the cells. As the temperatures continue to fall rapidly, intracellular ice crystals begin to form further destroying the internal structures of the cells that might survive shrinkage.

The freezing part of the cycles must take at least 10 minutes to adequately destroy the cells that may be resistant in the first few minutes. The function of the slow thawing effect caused by helium is to prime the cells for another cycle of freezing so that all cells that might escaped the first attack are targeted.

Currently there is a shifting preference to cryotherapy by both patients and surgeons due to the minimal invasion required with the procedure. Unlike most operations where the surgeon cuts the patient to access the tissues with pathology, this process only involves a single injection with the ablative needle to the target site where the gases are to be delivered. There are fewer risks in the process and decreased need prolonged hospital stays.

Cryotherapy has been in used since the mid 1850 when a medical doctor known as James Arnott invented it. He first used it on his patient with skin, cervical and breast cancers by using a salt solution that he mixed with frozen ice. He noted that it brought a numbing sensation that could kill the cell. It was first taken as an anesthetic method and finally improved into a therapeutic mode.

HIFU clinicians use this therapy for managing wide range of cancers. The most applications have been in treating prostate and renal cancers especially by urologists. There are additional studies going on the efficacy of cryosurgical treatments for cancers of the liver, thoracic and even bone among others. Call a top Central Florida HIFU doctor from Urology Health Solutions, Inc. for your treatment options.