Houston Methodist Willowbrook became the first hospital in the area to perform a transurethral ultrasound ablation, an advanced treatment for prostate cancer, the Houston Chronicle reported April 8.
Transurethral ultrasound ablation is an outpatient, minimally invasive procedure that provides prostate ablation with no incisions. It requires candidates to undergo an MRI and general anesthesia.
"The real-time MRI provides visibility to the tumor so that we can focus explicitly on cancer cells and not the entire prostate," said Steven Sukin, MD, the hospital's urologist. "This precision makes the TULSA procedure a viable option for men with enlarged prostates, as some traditional treatments involve a higher risk for hemorrhaging."