Jinsheng Yu

An Experimental Study of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound on Pig’s Pancreas and the Early Clinical Experience on Pancreatic Cancer

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and safety of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment of in vivo pig pancreases, and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of HIFU in the clinical treatment of pancreatic cancer in humans. Methods: HIFU was performed in 12 domestic pig pancreases in vivo with varying acoustic energies. The safety of HIFU treatments was assessed by necropsy. The pathology and microstructure of the treated pancreases were evaluated using standard histology and transmission electron microscopy. Following the animal studies 62 patients with advanced pancreas cancer were treated with 250 – 420 W of acoustic power. There were 3 patients with stage II, 23 patients with stage III, and 36 patients with stage IV disease. Results: In animal studies, precise regions of coagulation necrosis were identified on pathology in 8 specimens that were treated with 420 W or 645 W acoustic power. Treatment effects were unable to be identified in 4 specimens treated with 300∼340 W acoustic power...