Siemens and Haifu collaborate on high intensity ultrasound tumour treatment

3 March 2006

Siemens Medical Solutions and Chinese company Chongqing Haifu (Haifu) Technology Co., Ltd. are to collaborate to develop a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy system.

The main applications of this system will focus on women's health treatments including benign uterine fibroids and cancer, as well as malignant and benign tumors of the liver, kidney, pancreas and bone.

"Combining Siemens' MRI technology with Haifu's unmatched clinical expertise in non-invasive, fast HIFU protocols will further the ability to identify and treat tumours, improving care options for doctors and patients alike," said Nancy Gillen, vice president, MRI Division, Siemens Medical Solutions. "With innovations such as Tim technology and powerful applications, Siemens' MRI solutions provide the ideal partner with their ability to visualize disease states and thus allow for earlier treatment."

The combination of MRI and HIFU enables improved visualization of tumour morphology and more precise thermal dose control, designed to reduce current treatment times. Further developments involve MRI applications for diagnosis, therapy planning and outcome assessment. Patient treatment will be performed on a special HIFU patient bed inside the bore of Siemens' MRI scanners. For example, the MAGNETOM EspreeTM with Tim (Total imaging matrix) technology is well suited for the treatment since it provides the HIFU beam excellent access to the tumor location as it offers maximum freedom for patient positioning. Sonication of uterine fibroids is expected to take considerably less time than with traditional technology.

"We are excited to partner with Siemens Medical Solutions to offer advanced HIFU technology, improving treatment options to our customers and the medical industry," said Professor Zhibiao Wang, president, Haifu. "Haifu has great international success with ultrasound-guided HIFU treatment and we believe using MRI as a guided imaging modality is the future of this technology, providing a new direction to advance tumour treatment."

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