Histotripsy

At Providence, you’ll receive state-of-the-art care for the treatment of liver tumors. We are the first hospital system on the West Coast to offer histotripsy, a revolutionary treatment that destroys liver tumors without a single incision. The histotripsy procedure has shown a 95.5% success rate in clinical trials.

Histotripsy: A Breakthrough Liver Cancer Therapy

Histotripsy is a revolutionary treatment for both cancerous and non-cancerous liver tumors, as well as metastatic cancer that has spread to the liver. This FDA-approved procedure uses high-energy ultrasound waves that convert to sonic beams and destroy liver tumors – without a single incision or needle.

Histotripsy is a robotic-assisted procedure performed by our specially trained physicians using sophisticated imaging technology.

Using diagnostic ultrasound, your doctor monitors the treatment area in real-time.
The procedure begins with a soft, flexible membrane positioned over the liver, filled with degassed water. This water helps transmit sound waves from the device to the target treatment area.
The focused ultrasound waves generate a bubble cloud inside the tumor, disrupting and destroying only cancerous tissue.
After the cancerous tissue is liquefied, only tiny molecules remain in the body. These microscopic fragments are too small to allow the cancer to spread and regrow.

Effective: Histotripsy has shown a 95.5% success rate in clinical trials, and multiple tumors can be treated in a single therapy session.
Precise: It can be used to target and destroy only unwanted tissue, such as tumors, without causing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
Noninvasive: The procedure allows you to avoid incisions, needles, or other insertions through the skin. Instead, you receive painless general anesthesia to minimize movement during treatment and typically go home the same day.
Fewer side effects: Because histotripsy doesn’t require incisions, it reduces the risk of infection, bleeding, long recovery times and other complications. Typically, it has little to no side effects; most patients return home the same day and quickly resume normal activities with minimal discomfort.

Histotripsy can be used to effectively treat liver tumors in patients who aren’t candidates for open surgery or have been told their liver tumor is inoperable. It can be used in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, and it can also be used to treat metastatic cancer that has spread to the liver.

However, first there are several factors that must be assessed and discussed with your doctor – like the size and number of tumors – to determine if you’re a candidate.

Before the procedure:

You might be required to follow some dietary restrictions before the planned histotripsy.

During the procedure:

Your doctor may perform an ultrasound for additional confirmation of your tumor location.
General anesthesia will be administered.
Procedure time varies depending on specific factors and the number of histotripsy treatments being delivered.

After the procedure:

You could experience some pain or discomfort depending on the treatment area.
Many patients return home on the same day as the procedure, or the day after, and resume their normal activities quickly.

Histotripsy: New Treatment for Liver Cancer

See how this innovative technology is redefining liver tumor treatment.

The Edison® System
During the histotripsy procedure, doctors use the Edison® System to plan the treatment volume, target the treatment area with focused ultrasound energy, and monitor the treatment area in real-time.
Breakthrough Cancer Therapy
See how this new medical device helps our patients by effectively targeting cancerous liver tumors.
Histotripsy: Liver Cancer Treatment
Bradley Jackson, MD discusses histotripsy, the revolutionary new procedure for treating liver cancer.
New Treatment for Liver Cancer
Our Providence Saint John’s expert explains histotripsy, the newest, noninvasive procedure for treating liver cancer.

How Histotripsy Helps Our Patients

“Because histotripsy is noninvasive, it opens up treatment for liver tumors to a host of patients who otherwise wouldn’t be candidates for surgery. There’s no incision, no needles, no bleeding. There’s no other treatment like this.”

Kevin Burns, MD

Interventional Radiologist, Providence Mission Hospital

“The ability to perform histotripsy at Providence St. Jude Medical Center is a testament to our dedication to innovative care. This groundbreaking procedure allows us to provide hope and improved outcomes for our liver cancer patients with significantly reduced pain and recovery time.”

Timmy M. Joseph, MD

Interventional Radiology, Providence St. Jude Radiology Medical Group

“The introduction of histotripsy at St. Jude Medical Center is a true milestone in the treatment of liver cancer. This cutting-edge technology not only allows us to target tumors with extreme precision, but it’s completely non-invasive which means less pain and faster recovery for our patients. Knowing that we can give our patients a fighting chance and a better quality of life is incredibly rewarding.”

Bradley A. Jackson, MD

Interventional Radiology, Providence St. Jude Radiology Medical Group