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| EMGARGOED FOR RELEASE Oct. 12, 2006, 9:45 a.m. (PDT) |
Contact: Jennifer Reising at jreising@reisingcommunications.com |
Ultrasound Therapy Proves Promising in Thyroid, First Clinical Study Finds
(PHOENIX)—For the first time researchers have confirmed the safety and preliminary effectiveness of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) in patients with thyroid nodules, according to a new clinical study being presented on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the 77th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Phoenix. This promising, non-invasive procedure uses the latest technology to map the location of thyroid nodules and eliminate them through focused ultrasound waves without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.
“HIFU potentially offers a safe alternative to surgery for patients suffering from benign thyroid nodular disease,” explains Dr. Oliver Esnault, leading investigator at Saint-Louis Hospital, ENT and Cervico-facial Surgery in Paris. “Even more astonishing is the passage of ultrasound energy through intervening tissue has no apparent effect on that healthy tissue — while rapidly destroying target nodule tissue.”
HIFU is a highly precise procedure using high intensity ultrasound to heat and destroy diseased tissue. The clinical trial treated 25 patients by a HIFU device (Theraclion, Paris) two weeks prior to thyroidectomy for multinodular goiter — the total removal of an enlarged thyroid with multiple nodules. One thyroid nodule only was targeted per patient. Overall treatment was well tolerated by patients and resulted in destruction of the nodular tissue by over a 70 percent for the last consecutive patients receiving the higher HIFU dose.
Further clinical studies are needed to assess long- term effects of HIFU therapy on thyroid nodules. First used in the early 20th century, the technology has continually improved and additional therapeutic applications have become an integral part of medicine today.
For more information on thyroid disease, visit the ATA web site at www.thyroid.org.
The newest research in mechanisms, diagnosis, and clinical management of thyroid disease will be the focus of the ATA Annual Meeting, Oct. 11–15, 2006, at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Phoenix. The meeting will bring together thyroid experts from the United States and around the world.
The American Thyroid Association is the North American professional society for physicians and researchers specializing in diseases of the thyroid gland. The ATA promotes excellence and innovation in clinical care, research, education, and public advocacy.
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