Insightec
Encyclopedia
InSightec Ltd., founded in 1999, is a privately held company owned by Elbit Medical Imaging, GE Healthcare
, private investors and employees. InSightec was founded specifically to develop MR (magnetic resonance) guided Focused Ultrasound technology. Headquartered in Tirat Carmel
near Haifa
, Israel
, with US headquarters in Dallas Texas, the company has over 160 employees.
and Focused Ultrasound to non-invasively treat tumors inside the body without the need for incisions. During this outpatient procedure, the patient lies inside an MRI scanner, which provides three-dimensional images of the diseased tissue and surrounding area, enabling precise guidance of the ultrasound waves. High intensity focused ultrasound
waves are then directed into the body at specific tissue, raising the temperature of the targeted tissue to 65 to 85 degrees Celsius, destroying it. The imaging capabilities of the MRI scanner provide real-time feedback on all aspects of the procedure which gives the physician a high degree of control over its therapeutic outcome.
ExAblate 2000 has been approved to treat uterine fibroids
, and is currently in use in the US, Israel, Europe and Asia. Clinical trials are being conducted to evaluate ExAblate for treatment of other diseases such as breast, liver, bone and brain cancers.
GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare is a division of GE Technology Infrastructure, which is itself a division of General Electric . It employs more than 46,000 people worldwide and is headquartered in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. GE Healthcare is the first GE business segment to be headquartered...
, private investors and employees. InSightec was founded specifically to develop MR (magnetic resonance) guided Focused Ultrasound technology. Headquartered in Tirat Carmel
Tirat Carmel
Tirat Carmel , or Tirat HaCarmel, is a city in the Haifa District in Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2007 the city had a total population of 18,700....
near Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, with US headquarters in Dallas Texas, the company has over 160 employees.
Technology
InSightec developed ExAblate 2000 – a surgical system that combines Magnetic resonance imagingMagnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
and Focused Ultrasound to non-invasively treat tumors inside the body without the need for incisions. During this outpatient procedure, the patient lies inside an MRI scanner, which provides three-dimensional images of the diseased tissue and surrounding area, enabling precise guidance of the ultrasound waves. High intensity focused ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
waves are then directed into the body at specific tissue, raising the temperature of the targeted tissue to 65 to 85 degrees Celsius, destroying it. The imaging capabilities of the MRI scanner provide real-time feedback on all aspects of the procedure which gives the physician a high degree of control over its therapeutic outcome.
ExAblate 2000 has been approved to treat uterine fibroids
Uterine fibroids
A uterine fibroid is a benign tumor that originates from the smooth muscle layer and the accompanying connective tissue of the uterus.Fibroids are the most common benign tumors in...
, and is currently in use in the US, Israel, Europe and Asia. Clinical trials are being conducted to evaluate ExAblate for treatment of other diseases such as breast, liver, bone and brain cancers.
See also
- Magnetic Resonance guided Focused Ultrasound
- Magnetic resonance imagingMagnetic resonance imagingMagnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
- Medical ultrasonographyMedical ultrasonographyDiagnostic sonography is an ultrasound-based diagnostic imaging technique used for visualizing subcutaneous body structures including tendons, muscles, joints, vessels and internal organs for possible pathology or lesions...
- Uterine fibroid