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High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) procedure -- a non-invasive and non-ionizing procedure -- was introduced for the first time in Karnataka, with a 76-year-old patient undergoing the process on Wednesday.

To reduce pain and the high risk involved in surgical treatment, prostrate cancer patients can now opt for a non-surgical, radiation-free procedure.

Dr S K Raghunath, uro-oncologist, HealthCare Global Enterprises Ltd (HCG), said the procedure was successful and the patient was responding well. "Since HIFU was conducted for the first time, it took time to plan. It began at 4.30pm and ended at 8.30pm. There was no blood loss or scar. Since the patient is 76 years old, he will have to stay in hospital for a day, and will be discharged on Thursday or Friday.''

The treatment is typically a two- to three-hour procedure performed once on a patient, basically on an out-patient basis under spinal anaesthesia. "Patients generally start walking within hours after HIFU, and can return to a normal lifestyle within a couple of days," he added.

HIFU technology uses ultrasound to destroy deep-seated tissue with pinpoint accuracy. "An acoustic ablation technique, it focuses sound waves in a targeted area, which rapidly increases the temperature by 90-95 degrees in the focal zone, causing tissue destruction. This procedure helps in treating the entire gland,'' Dr Raghunath said.

Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA