HAIFA, Israel, January 19 /PRNewswire/ -- InSightec Ltd. announced today that its non-invasive MR guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) technology, will be featured in four presentations at the New European Surgical Academy’s NESA Days 2006, an interdisciplinary endoscopy conference focused on optimizing, simplifying and standardizing surgical procedures. The meeting takes place January 19 to 21, 2006 at the Hilton Hotel in Berlin, Germany and the presentations will highlight the global use of MRgFUS as a new, non-invasive surgical treatment for a variety of benign and cancerous tumors.
MRgFUS combines Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to visualize tissue in the body, plan and monitor the treatment and outcome in real time and high intensity focused ultrasound energy to thermally ablate (destroy) tissue. MR thermal feedback, provided uniquely by the system, allows the physician to control and adjust the treatment to ensure that the targeted tumor is fully treated and other tissue is avoided.
ExAblate 2000 is the only MRgFUS system approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) as a non-invasive, outpatient procedure to treat uterine fibroids. The device also has the European CE mark and ISO 9001.Over 1500 women have been treated worldwide for symptomatic uterine fibroids.
The company has begun clinical trials to study the technology’s use in other indications including breast, bone, liver and brain tumors. Currently, clinical trials are being conducted for metastatic bone and liver tumors at Charite Hospital in Berlin and St. Mary’s Hospital in London.
Following are ExAblate talks at NESA Days 2006: Presentation Title Presenter The Use of FUS on Malignancies Moshe Zvi Papa, MD Focused Ultrasound Therapy: Elizabeth A. Stewart, MD Uterine Fibroids and Beyond Preliminary Experience with Alexander Beck, MD Treatment of Bone and Liver tumors with MR guided Focused Ultrasound Round Table: From Surgery to Zion Ben Rafael, MD, Moshe Zvi Minimal Invasive and Papa , MD, Gralf Popken, MD, Non-invasive Procedures Elizabeth A. Stewart, MD, Gerhard Buess, MD, Michael Stark, MD, Dov Maor, PhD. About Uterine Fibroids
Uterine fibroids are benign growths in the uterus that affect approximately 13 million women of child bearing age in the U.S. Each year approximately 200,000 women have hysterectomies to treat uterine fibroids. Unlike hysterectomy, myomectomy and UAE, this technology is completely non-invasive using MRgFUS to thermally ablate (destroy) tumors in the uterus. For women this means no hospital stay and only 2-3 days of recovery as opposed to the one week (UAE); two weeks (myomectomy); or six weeks (hysterectomy) usually associated with treatment of this condition.
Awards
ExAblate has been recognized for its innovation and potential to serve mankind and has been awarded the 2004 EU’s Information Society Technologies grand prize, the The Wall Street Journal’s 2004 Technology Innovation Awards, and Advanced Imaging’s 2005 Solutions of the Year.
About InSightec
InSightec Ltd. is a privately held company owned by Elbit Medical Imaging (EMI), General Electric, private investors and employees. It was founded in 1999 to develop the breakthrough MR guided Focused Ultrasound technology and transform it into the next generation operating room. Headquartered near Haifa, Israel, the company has over 120 employees and has invested more than $100 million in research, development, and clinical investigations. Its U.S. headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please go to: http://www.insightec.com/
About NESA
NESA was founded in 2004, and includes members, departments, and hospitals in 27 countries. NESA deals among others with re-evaluation of surgical procedures in order to optimize, simplify and standardize them. NESA’s five disciplines are: general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, urology, otolaryngology, and anaesthesiology. In NESA DAYS 2006 experts with high international reputation will present a wide variety of re-evaluated and optimized surgical endoscopic procedures next to new developments in basic sciences.
Contact Information: InSightec Ltd. www.insightec.com Tel: +972-4-813-1313 Email: info@insightec.com For media inquiries, contact: Fern Lazar Lazar Partners, Ltd. Tel: +1-(212)-867-1762 Email: flazar@lazarpartners.com
For more information about uterine fibroids, please visit http://www.uterine-fibroids.org
InSightec Ltd.
CONTACT: Contact Information: InSightec Ltd., www.insightec.com, Tel:+972-4-813-1313, Email: info@insightec.com, For media inquiries, contact:Fern Lazar, Lazar Partners, Ltd. Tel: +1-(212)-867-1762, Email:flazar@lazarpartners.com
