American integrated healthcare network Renown Health has treated the first patient using the HistoSonics’ Edison System histotripsy technology for targeted liver tumour treatments.
Edison System histotripsy technology uses focused ultrasound waves to noninvasively target and destroy specific liver tissues or tumours.
Renown Health is now among the first in the nation to offer this procedure, joining institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins.
Renown Health president and CEO Brian Erling said: “We are grateful to a generous local donor, who provided us with a $1.4-million private donation to help purchase the equipment, training and to establish one of the few histotripsy programs in the US at Renown.
“This non-invasive technology is a game changer in helping our liver surgeons and surgical oncologists to target and destroy malignant tissue in patients with either liver cancer or tumours that have spread to the liver from cancers based elsewhere in the body.”
The HistoSonics Edison System uses focused sound energy for the mechanical destruction of liver tumours, including the partial or complete elimination of tumors that cannot be surgically removed, through histotripsy.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not assessed the system for treating any specific disease or condition.
HistoSonics’ system and its histotripsy procedure specifically target tumour cells while preserving surrounding healthy tissue, making it especially effective for tumours near critical structures.
It also eliminates the need for incisions, reducing pain and potentially quicker patient recovery times.
By avoiding surgical intervention, patients experience a lower risk of infection, bleeding, and other complications commonly associated with more invasive procedures, Renown Health said.
In January this year, the Edison System was used on a patient from the University of Rochester Medical Center for targeted liver tumour treatment following its De Novo clearance in the US in October 2023.
