For the first time, doctors are using MRI to cool and destroy tumors with millimeter precision, sparing patients from major surgeries and long recovery times.
Liverpool Hospital in Sydney has introduced an innovative new technology that allows doctors to destroy tumors without the need for classic surgery, using advanced imaging and tissue freezing methods, reports the Daily Mail. 9News Australia.
It is a procedure called cryoablation, which uses extremely low temperatures to destroy tumor cells. During this procedure, a very thin needle (cryo-probe) is inserted directly into the tumor and, through argon gas, creates a so-called "ice ball" which freezes and destroys diseased tissue, explain the doctors at this hospital, 9News reports.
What makes this technology particularly advanced is the fact that the procedure is performed under direct MRI control, enabling doctors to see in real time the spread of freezing and protect healthy structures and tissues around the tumor. “We can see exactly where the ice is forming and control the treatment with extreme precision,” emphasizes the medical staff of Liverpool Hospital, reports the Telegraph.
According to National Cancer Institute (NCI) In the US, cryoablation is an accepted method of local treatment that uses extreme cold to destroy cancer cells and abnormal tissue, and is used especially in patients who are not good candidates for open surgery or for localized tumors.
also Mayo Clinic, one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the world, explains that cryoablation is performed by placing special very thin metal needles in the tumor area, which freeze the surrounding tissue and lead to tumor cell death, while the procedure is considered minimally invasive and is accompanied by much shorter recovery time compared to classical surgery.
According to RadiologyInfo, an educational platform supported by the American Radiological Association, this technique is performed under imaging guidance (MRI, CT or ultrasound) and allows very precise treatment of tumors in organs such as liver, kidneys, lungs, bones and soft tissues.
9News reports that at Liverpool Hospital this technology has already been used for spine and soft tissue tumors, where patients have had quick pain relief and have returned home in a very short time, unlike recovery after classic surgeries.
Experts emphasize that the main advantages of this method are:
• lack of large surgical incisions,
• lower risk of complications,
• better preservation of healthy tissues,
• and much faster patient recovery.
The opening of this modern unit at Liverpool Hospital is part of a major state projects in New South Wales for the development of advanced interventional radiology, where technologies MRI, CT and angiography are integrated into a single environment, significantly increasing the security and accuracy of procedures, finds the NSW government in its official announcements. /Telegraph/
