Power new treatments
Rapid advances have been made since the 1990s in using ultrasound to detect, diagnose, and simulate disease. Now ultrasound is being used for treatment. A noninvasive surgical technique known as focused ultrasound surgery (FUS), or high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), has earned FDA approval for the reduction of uterine fibroids and is being evaluated for treatment of breast, liver, brain, and bone cancers. Sound waves that are focused on the tumors or suspect tissue cause rapid heating to more than 65 degrees Centigrade. The targets are selectively destroyed while surrounding areas are spared, all from outside the body. Unlike radiation and radio surgery, FUS has no apparent cumulative effect on intervening tissue and leads to better patient outcomes, shorter hospital stays, and lower per-patient costs.

PZFlex is the medical industry’s premier tool for modeling ultrasound’s pulsed and continuous-wave operation, nonlinear propagation (using B/A properties), frequency-dependent attenuation, and thermal effects over time. The software is used to design and improve HIFU transducers and plays an important role in gathering 3D anatomic information for exact tumor targeting. It is used to visualize the beam path through tissue layers and to predict, monitor, and control the probe’s motion, tracking, and heat-generation. Forecasting the beam’s absolute location and its effects ensures more precise positioning of the focal point and better control over exposure times, increasing patient safety.