Mercy Hospital St. Louis is adding a noninvasive technology that directs sound waves to destroy liver tumors.
The hospital is slated to become the first in Missouri and among the first 100 in the U.S. to use the Edison histotripsy system when it performs its first procedure in late April, according to a March 30 news release. The technology uses focused, pulsed sound waves to break down and liquefy tumors.
The noninvasive procedure, histotripsy, creates microscopic bubble clouds within tumors that rapidly expand and collapse, destroying tissue while sparing surrounding healthy areas. The approach avoids heat, needles and ionizing energy used in traditional treatments like surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.
The technology has been studied for more than 20 years and is being evaluated in clinical trials for additional uses, including kidney and pancreatic tumors, according to the release. The addition expands Mercy’s liver care program and provides a new treatment option for patients with liver cancer or metastatic disease to the liver.
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