title: Extracorporeal liver ablation using sonography-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is the only radiation beam that can remotely destroy deep-seated tissue targets without causing damage to the intervening tissues. This study evaluates the ability of sonography-guided HIFU to extracorporeally induce liver ablation in a rabbit model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Under sonographic guidance, the HIFU beam was transcutaneously focused at the target tissue in the liver through a subcostal approach. A computer controlled the HIFU exposure and transducer movement to destroy a preselected tissue volume. Simultaneous sonography monitored the tissue response. Ten insonated rabbits were killed from days 0 to 10, and the liver and intervening tissues were examined histologically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A sharply demarcated sonolesion of coagulation necrosis was produced in the liver in 9 of 10 animals. No damage was found in the intervening tissues (n = 6) when adequate acoustic coupling and proper beam path was applied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sonography-guided HIFU might be a potential new modality for extracorporeal inducement of liver cancer ablation without resorting to laparatomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Sanghvi
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Rescorla
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Galliani
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Fry
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Grosfeld
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014463:Ultrasonography