Application of New Ultrasound Technology in Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound is a non-invasive technique therefore, there is no need for surgery or ultrasound-guided puncture and no risk of bleeding. It can completely destroy lesions in the body, with no harm to ultrasound-penetrated tissues or normal areas lying outside the target. This review aims at highlighting the use of HIFU in spinal cord surgery.
Methods: The electronic search resulted in ten potentially relevant studies that reported assessing Outcomes of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound in different surgical procedures. Eight studies were excluded because of that they were not have consistent outcomes.
Results: All the included studies were prospective studies except only one was a retrospective study which was done among 73 patients aged between 17-80 years with benign thyroid nodules. The treatment was done using an imaging transducer and HIFU transducer. The outcome of HIFU was varying among different surgical and spinal cord procedures. Five of included studies were measuring the survival rate, it was ranged between 38.5% and 89%.
Conclusions: The HIFU is a promising non-invasive technology that can enhance neurological surgery with faster recovery and fewer post-operative complications.