US HIFU opens new centre in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: US HIFU, which is promoting the use of minimally invasive, high intensity focussed ultrasound (HIFU) therapy for prostate disease, has helped establish the first centre in India.

The Indian HIFU Centre located at the Hyderabad-based Pramila Hospital, specialising in urology, will house the facility that was inaugurated by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Sonablate, a patented system developed by Focus Surgery, Indianapolis, has been given gratis by the US HIFU to Pramila Hospitals, according to Mr Alex Gonzales, Vice-President, international operations, of the company. The system costs between $600,000 and $750,000, he added.

At present, 150 centres across 32 countries use the Sonablate system. More than 8,000 patients have been treated for prostate cancer with a 94 per cent success rate, claimed Dr Sanghvi, who played a major role in HIFU treatment.

He said over 650,000 men are victims of prostate cancer. In the US alone, approximately 30,000 people die of it. Existing treatments have side effects, while HIFU has virtually none as ultrasound is extremely safe.

Like a light beam focused on a paper can burn it at the focal point, the ultrasound waves can be focused on the cancer tissue in the prostate and burn it. To do this, 3-D images are generated on a computer and using a robotic arm, the high energy is focussed precisely on the cancer, Dr Sanghvi, who is from the University of Indianapolis, explained to Business Line.

At Pramila Hospital, the treatment would be offered at $8,000 or between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh. There is a sharing agreement with US HIFU in the procedures, Dr Ramesh Ramayya, who is trained on the system, said. The US company has plans to set up more centres in the long-term.