What is the history of HIFU and how long has it been done?
Research on HIFU actually began in the 1950s at Indiana University. In 1994, the first human prostate cancer study was done by Dr. Marberger and Madersbacher at the Univ. of Vienna in Austria using the now Sonablate® 200 treating 29 human prostates in vivo shortly before performing a radical prostatectomy. The goal was to see if the energy delivered was enough to destroy the prostate tissue. Study found that treatment could be performed safely and could be repeated. In 1995, a study done at Indiana University showed that the whole prostate could be treated without damaging the prostate capsule or the rectal wall. In 1999, Dr. Toyaki Uchida began treating patients using the Sonablate® 200. In 2001, the Sonablate® 500 received the CE mark from Europe and the first patient in the study was treated at Indiana University by Dr. M. Koch. In 2004, USHIFU was created and has placed machines in Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, South Africa and the Caribbean. Currently there are nearly 100 Sonablate®
