The Scaplel of the Future!

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The “Scalpel of the Future” - Ultrasound Robot for Non-Invasive Treatment of Tumors . . . The French company Theraclion has just been floated on the stock market. It has developed an innovative solution for non-invasive treatment of tumors combining focused high-intensity ultrasound therapy with ultrasound monitoring to create the "scalpel of the future". This company based in Malakoff, south of Paris, employs around twenty people. It is currently the only company in the world offering this type of treatment for benign thyroid nodules and benign breast tumors (fibroadenomas). It took ten years of R&D to develop the potential disruptive technology, which combines an ultrasound scanner for locating target tumours and a power unit for non-invasive, scar less tumour treatment in a single machine. The company, a spin-off from the French group EDAP-TMS, obtained licensing agreements for 9 patent families originating particularly from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM). It also used its own technology for non-invasive, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment under ultrasound guidance, which is protected by another 20 patent families held in its own right. The Echopulse device has three main components. Its single-unit visualization and treatment head combines an ultrasound imaging probe and HIFU transducer. This robotic treatment head is mounted on an articulated arm to perform imaging in various sections (sagittal and transversal) and micro-movements for millimetric precise treatment. The transducer generates a powerful, convergent beam of HIFU. This causes the temperature to rise rapidly to 85°C on a very small area of tissue measuring 2 mm x 2 mm x 9 mm. Planning of HIFU treatment and real-time monitoring of HIFU pulses is achieved via a control touch screen displaying an ultrasound image of the treated area. A single-use EPack consumable enables ultrasound waves to be transmitted without any signal loss or distortion, and protects patients' skin from the heat generated by HIFU. It consists of a pouch containing liquid chilled to a low temperature, a hydraulic circuit for transporting this liquid to the membrane on the treatment head, and an ultra-thin membrane placed right next to the treatment area. This medical equipment is enabling physicians to destroy tumors without dissecting patients' skin. Applying large amounts of acoustic energy to a confined space causes localized tissue coagulation via the thermal effect of HIFU beams. “It is both an imaging and therapeutic device which reduces risks and allows patients to avoid scars and anesthesia” sums up David Caumartin, the new CEO of Theraclion. According to the company, the treatment can be carried out under local anaesthesia and significantly lowers the costs compared to traditional operations. Conventional surgical procedures on breast fibroadenomas and thyroid nodules cost between €1,200 and €1,800. Reimbursement of the echotherapy procedure is now available in Germany for customers of the insurance company Continentale BKK. This “scalpel of the future” might change the way thyroid nodules (977,000 surgical procedures carried out globally every year) and breast fibroadenomas (over one million annual surgical procedures) are treated. The market is estimated to be worth 1.9 billion euros, a third of which could be captured by Theraclion. . Bernard Banga and Thomas Petit-Bourg, MD Report http://www.emdt.co.uk/automation/ultrasound-robot-non-invasive-treatment-tumours