high intensity focused ultrasound
Abbreviations: HIFU
Definition:
A type of thermotherapy or thermoablation for the treatment of benign prostateic hyperplasia and still under study for the treatment of cancer. An ultrasound probe focuses sound waves to an area as small as a grain of rice, similar to sunlight focused by a magnifying glass, elevating the tissue temperature to a point that the tissue cannot survive (70- to-90 degrees Centigrade or 158-194 degrees Fahrenheit).
Pictured is the Sonablate model, for example only.
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