Breakthrough Alternative to Surgery Also Being Studied in Cancer, Epilepsy, Stroke and Other Conditions
Monday, October 15, 20121:00-2:15pm Easternat 3rd International Symposium on Focused Ultrasoundin Bethesda, MD or by WebEx
Newswise — A press briefing at the 3rd International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound will introduce media to an innovative alternative to surgery – focused ultrasound technology – and the medical areas where it is being studied, including cancer, epilepsy and stroke.
Principle Investigator Jeff Elias, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery and Neurology at the University of Virginia, will announce his new clinical trial investigating the use of focused ultrasound technology in treating patients with tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease (TDPD) who exhibit significant disability despite medical treatment. Focused ultrasound technology offers the potential to treat medication-refractory TDPD patients with a completely noninvasive procedure, a significant improvement over the current standard of care, which requires the surgical implementation of a pacemaker in the brain.
The study will begin treating its first TDPD patients in mid-October. The trial is an FDA-approved double-blinded protocol study where 30 patients are randomly assigned to either treatment or control groups, and followed for a year to evaluate its effectiveness. The procedure is noninvasive – no skull incisions will be made – and performed without anesthesia. Patients will remain awake and communicative throughout the process. Dr. Elias will provide an overview of the study, the procedure and how it is performed and the evaluation process.
Also speaking will be clinicians in other medical fields, who will describe how the technology is being studied and applied in their areas of specialty. Each expert will provide more specific information around how this procedure works, and the stage and progress of their studies. A Q&A will be held after the presentation and all experts will be available following the press briefing for interviews.
For those media unable to attend in-person,a WebEx has been organized by which they can participate. Phone interviews can be arranged. [Details Below]
To register as a member of the media for the Press Briefing and to request interviews, please contact Lynn Blenkhorn at [email protected] or 508-851-0930.
Speakers and their topics of discussion include:
Neal Kassell, M.D., Neurosurgeon, Founder and Chairman, Focused Ultrasound FoundationAn overview of focused ultrasound technology, the areas it is FDA approved in, its use abroad, and the overarching benefits it provides vs. surgery.
Jaron Rabinovici, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, IsraelThe use of focused ultrasound to treat uterine fibroids and preserve a woman’s fertility, as well as a new effort to establish a registry for uterine fibroid patients treated with focused ultrasound.
Wladyslaw Gedroyc, M.D., Director and Consultant Radiologist, Radiology Department, St. Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College, London, UK Efforts to develop focused ultrasound-mediated targeted drug delivery therapies for cancer, as well as his pioneering use of the technology in treating liver, bone and pancreatic tumors.
Brad Wood, M.D., Director of the Center for Interventional Oncology, National Cancer InstituteThe potential of focused ultrasound to deliver powerful chemotherapy drugs directly to tumors.
When:
Monday, October 15 at 1 – 2:15 p.m. Eastern (12:00 noon CT, 10:00 a.m. PT)
Press Briefing Location
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center5701 Marinelli RoadOak Linden RoomBethesda, MD
WebEx DetailsMeeting Number: 733 317 660Meeting Password: FUS123
Steps To Join Online meeting: 1)Go to: https://custommanagementmeetings.webex.com/custommanagementmeetings/j.php?ED=200321147&UID=0&PW=NMDUzZDY3ZjM1&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D 2)Enter your name and email address.3)Enter the meeting password: FUS123 4)Click "Join".
To connect to the audio1. Dial: 1-877-668-44932. Enter the access code: 733 317 660
Media Registration:
For media registration at the symposium and to attend the press briefing, please contact Lynn Blenkhorn at [email protected] or 508-851-0930.
Focused Ultrasound Background:
Focused ultrasound is an early-stage, noninvasive therapeutic technology with the potential to transform the treatment of various serious medical disorders. It uses ultrasonic energy guided by magnetic resonance or ultrasound imaging to treat tissue deep in the body without incisions or radiation, resulting in fewer complications and faster recovery times. A treatment using this novel approach is currently approved in the US for uterine fibroids. Approved focused ultrasound treatments for bone, liver, prostate and thyroid tumors, as well as uterine fibroids, are available abroad.
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