Focused ultrasound is a therapeutic technology that could transform the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with Morbihan disease (a rare condition characterized by chronic erythematous edema localized on the face, which may be associated with underlying rosacea). This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces mild hyperthermia, which is believed to improve lymph drainage. In a case report (below), there was improvement in the patient after focused ultrasound treatment.

The primary options for treatment of Morbihan disease are very limited. The use of focused ultrasound may be another option which can improve the lives of patients with Morbihan disease.  

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive more effective treatment compared to conventional therapy. While significant work has been accomplished, there is still much to be done before this technology will be widely available.

Advantages
For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as like surgical wound healing or infection – at a lower cost. Focused ultrasound can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue, and it can be repeated, if necessary.

Clinical Trials

At the present time, there are no clinical trials recruiting patients for focused ultrasound treatment of Morbihan disease.

The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. 

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement

Focused ultrasound treatment for Morbihan disease is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Li M, Tao M, Zhang Y, Pan R, Gu D, Xu Y. Effect of High-Intensity Macro-Focused Ultrasound on a Case of Morbihan Disease. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2023 Jul 25;16:1949-1954. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S417070. eCollection 2023. PMID: 37519942 

Click here for additional references from PubMed. 

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with thyroid cancer. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasonic energy precisely and accurately on targets in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) enabling thyroid cancer to be treated without surgery. Focused ultrasound can also be used at lower intensities to enhance the delivery of therapeutics such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy to cancerous cells.

Advantages
The primary option for treatment of thyroid cancer is surgical removal, which has the issues of nerve injury or other surgical complications, anesthesia and wound healing.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as surgical wound healing or infection – at a lower cost. It can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary.

Clinical Trials

There are currently no clinical trials recruiting patients for the treatment of thyroid cancer.

The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. 

Regulatory & Reimbursement

Focused ultrasound treatment for thyroid cancer is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Jasim S, Patel KN, Randolph G, Adams S, Cesareo R, Condon E, Henrichsen T, Itani M, Papaleontiou M, Rangel L, Schmitz J, Stan MN. American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Disease State Clinical Review: The Clinical Utility of Minimally Invasive Interventional Procedures in the Management of Benign and Malignant Thyroid Lesions. Endocr Pract. 2022 Apr;28(4):433-448. doi: 10.1016/j.eprac.2022.02.011.

Kuo JH, Sinclair CF, Lang B, Spiezia S, Yu M, Ha EJ, Na DG, Offi C, Patel KN, Baek JH. A comprehensive review of interventional ablation techniques for the management of thyroid nodules and metastatic lymph nodes. Surgery. 2022 Apr;171(4):920-931. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2021.07.043. Epub 2021 Nov 12.

Fröhlich E, Wahl R. Nanoparticles: Promising Auxiliary Agents for Diagnosis and Therapy of Thyroid Cancers. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Aug 12;13(16):4063. doi: 10.3390/cancers13164063.

Liu Y, Ma Y, Peng X, Wang L, Li H, Cheng W, Zheng X. Cetuximab-conjugated perfluorohexane/gold nanoparticles for low intensity focused ultrasound diagnosis ablation of thyroid cancer treatment. Sci Technol Adv Mater. 2021 Feb 1;21(1):856-866. doi: 10.1080/14686996.2020.1855064.

Click here for additional references from PubMed.

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with thyroid nodules. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) enabling thyroid nodules to be treated without surgery.

Advantages
The primary options for treatment of thyroid nodules include medication and invasive surgery.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as surgical wound healing or infection – at a lower cost. It can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary.

Clinical Trials

There is a clinical trial that is treating a wide variety of solid tumors with histotripsy and check point inhibitors.  

There is a clinical trial that is organizing in China for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules.

The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/.

See a list of treatment sites >
See a list of laboratory research sites >

Find a Treatment Site

Search for a treatment center or clinical trial near you.

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement

The Echopulse system manufactured by Theraclion is approved in Europe, Russia and Korea for treating thyroid nodules. Some European insurance companies are paying for focused ultrasound treatment of thyroid nodules.

Notable Papers

Dueñas JP, Volpi EM, Voogd A, Sanabria Á, Zund S, Novelli JL, Kowalski LP. The clinical utility of thermal ablation procedures in thyroid nodules: Latin American Thyroid Society (LATS) surgical affairs committee expert opinion. Part 2. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Nov 28;69(6):e250129. doi: 10.20945/2359-4292-2025-0129. PMID: 41312853 

Mattarello MJ, De Santi F, Mingardi R, Peron C, Mazzucco M. Thermoablation Using Radiofrequency and Microwaves of Autonomous Thyroid Nodules: Our Experience. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2024 Jul 26. doi: 10.2174/0118715303322650240722095733. PMID: 39069800 

Vorländer C. Local ablative procedures for treatment of thyroid nodules. [Original Title: Lokalablative Verfahren zur Behandlung von Schilddrüsenknoten.] Chirurgie (Heidelb). 2024 May 21. doi: 10.1007/s00104-024-02101-1. PMID: 38772926 

Click here for additional references from PubMed.

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with relapsed or persistent Graves’ disease. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets in the thyroid gland without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) enabling patients with Graves’ disease to be treated without surgery.

Advantages
Graves’ disease is typically treated with anti-thyroid hormonal therapy and beta blockers, but the treatment for relapsed or persistent Graves’ disease typically involves taking radioactive iodine or having surgery.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound may provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as risk to adjacent (normal) tissues – at a lower cost. Focused ultrasound also does not use any radioactive materials and can be done without incurring the risk of general anesthesia.

Clinical Trials

At the present time, there are no clinical trials recruiting patients for focused ultrasound treatment of Graves’ disease.

The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. 

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement

To our knowledge, the treatment for Graves’ disease is not covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Wang B, Yin Z, You X, Peng H, Jiang Y. Thyroid-Targeted Nano-Bombs Empower HIFU for Graves’ Disease. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 Jan 22:e2414597. doi: 10.1002/advs.202414597. PMID: 39840533 

Lang BH, Woo YC, Chiu KW. Two-year outcomes of single-session high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment in persistent or relapsed Graves’ disease. Eur Radiol. 2019 Jun 17. doi: 10.1007/s00330-019-06303-8.

Lang BH, Woo YC, Wong IY, Chiu KW. Single-Session High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Treatment for Persistent or Relapsed Graves Disease: Preliminary Experience in a Prospective Study. Radiology. 2017 Jul 20:162776. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2017162776. 

Glinoer D, de Nayer P, Bex M; Belgian Collaborative Study Group on Graves’ Disease. Effects of l-thyroxine administration, TSH-receptor antibodies and smoking on the risk of recurrence in Graves’ hyperthyroidism treated with antithyroid drugs: a double-blind prospective randomized study. Eur J Endocrinol. 2001 May;144(5):475-83.

Click here for additional references from PubMed.

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with hyperparathyroidism. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) that treats hyperparathyroidism without surgery. While significant work has been accomplished, there is still much to be done before this technology will be widely available.

The primary options for treatment of hyperparathyroidism include medication or invasive surgery.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications and lower cost.

Advantages:

• Focused ultrasound is noninvasive, so it does not carry added concerns like surgical wound healing or infection.
• Focused ultrasound can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue.
• It can be repeated, if necessary.

Clinical Trials

At the present time, there are no clinical trials recruiting patients for focused ultrasound treatment of hyperparathyroidism.

The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. 

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement

Focused ultrasound treatment for hyperparathyroidism is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Kovatcheva R, Vlahov J, Stoinov J, Lacoste F, Ortuno C, Zaletel K. US-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound as a promising non-invasive method for treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism. Eur Radiol. 2014 Sep;24(9):2052-8. doi: 10.1007/s00330-014-3252-4.

Kovatcheva RD, Vlahov JD, Stoinov JI, Kirilov GG, Krivoshiev SG, Arnaud F, Ortuno C, Drüeke TB. High-intensity focussed ultrasound (HIFU) treatment in uraemic secondary hyperparathyroidism. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2012 Jan;27(1):76-80. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfr590.

Ambrosini CE, Cianferotti L, Picone A, Torregrossa L, Segnini G, Frustaci G, Cetani F, Basolo F, Marcocci C, Miccoli P. High-intensity focused ultrasound as an alternative to the surgical approach in primary hyperparathyroidism: a preliminary experience. J Endocrinol Invest. 2011 Oct;34(9):655-9.

Kovatcheva RD, Vlahov JD, Shinkov AD, Borissova AM, Hwang JH, Arnaud F, Hegedüs L. High-intensity focused ultrasound to treat primary hyperparathyroidism: a feasibility study in four patients. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2010 Oct;195(4):830-5. doi: 10.2214/AJR.09.3932.

Click here for additional references from PubMed.

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with insulinoma. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasonic energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) enabling insulinoma to be treated without surgery. 

Advantages
The primary treatment of insulinoma is surgery, although medications may be needed post operatively.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as surgical wound healing or infection – at a lower cost. It can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary.

With more clinical experience, focused ultrasound could potentially replace surgery as a primary option. In a case report, two patients had successful treatment of insulinomas. Neither required any medication post treatment, and there were no complications.

Clinical Trials

At the present time, there are no clinical trials recruiting patients for focused ultrasound treatment of insulinoma.

The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. 

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement 

Focused ultrasound treatment for insulinoma is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Mele C, Brunani A, Damascelli B, Tichà V, Castello L, Aimaretti G, Scacchi M, Marzullo P. Non-surgical ablative therapies for inoperable benign insulinoma. J Endocrinol Invest. 2017 Jul 28. doi: 10.1007/s40618-017-0738-3.

Gianluigi OrgeraEmail author, Miltiadis Krokidis, Lorenzo Monfardini, Guido Bonomo, Paolo Della Vigna, Nicola Fazio, Franco Orsi. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours: Report of Two Cases. CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology. April 2011, Volume 34, Issue 2, pp 419–423

Balawejder M, Skórkowska-Telichowska K, Kuniej T, Tuchendler R. Insulinoma located in the head of the pancreas: Is there an alternative to surgery? International Journal of Case Reports and Images 2014;5(4):285–294.

Click here for additional references from PubMed.

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with obesity. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces several therapeutic effects that are being evaluated. One mechanism is the production of precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue). A second mechanism is the ability to produce mechanical fractionation/liquefaction of tissue, which is a non-thermal process. A third mechanism that has shown promise in preclinical research is focused ultrasound stimulation of liver cells.

Preclinical research and trials in human volunteers have demonstrated that FUS can safely remove adipose tissue. To date, most studies have only been performed in non-obese individuals for the purposes of body contouring. Further studies are needed to evaluate the potential of FUS as a fat-reducing treatment in obese patients.

Advantages
The primary options for treatment of obesity are dietary restriction and exercise, medications and for severe cases, invasive surgical procedures such as gastric bypass.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as surgical wound healing or infection – at a lower cost. It can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary.

Clinical Trials

There is a clinical trial in Utah that is using low intensity focused ultrasound to help with the cravings for food that often accompany those with obesity.  

There is a clinical trial in Egypt for sleep qualities in obese women with double chin anatomy. 

There is a clinical trial in Egypt for obese men and the impact on electromagnetic body shaping on their metabolism.   

The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. 

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement

Focused ultrasound treatment for obesity is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Wu Z, Wang Y, Li W, Zhang W, Zhu L. A Clinical Early Evaluation of the Combined Use of Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound and Radiofrequency for Female Abdominal Contouring. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025 Jul;24(7):e70267. doi: 10.1111/jocd.70267. PMID: 40671557 

Welc N, Owczarek M, Jałowska M, Dańczak-Pazdrowska A. High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound-Application, Effects and Complications. Australas J Dermatol. 2025 Mar 17. doi: 10.1111/ajd.14454. PMID: 40095285 

Tang J, Chen L, Zhang S, Shao H, Wang L, Wang C, Chen Q, Hou Y, Liao X, Song M, Zhang C, Zhang X, Yang J, Li W. Efficacy and safety of non-focused low-intensity ultrasound technology for subcutaneous lipolysis in the lower abdomen: a clinical study. Postgrad Med J. 2025 Jan 22:qgaf008. doi: 10.1093/postmj/qgaf008. PMID: 39838845 

Filippou A, Louca I, Damianou C. Characterization of a fat tissue mimicking material for high intensity focused ultrasound applications. J Ultrasound. 2023 Jun;26(2):505-515. doi: 10.1007/s40477-022-00746-4. Epub 2022 Nov 21. PMID: 36414928 

Badran S, Doi SA, Iskeirjeh S, Aljassem G, Jafarian N, Clark J, Habib AM, Glass GE. Metabolic changes after nonsurgical fat removal: A dose response meta-analysis. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2023 Feb;77:68-77. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2022.10.054. Epub 2022 Nov 11.

Byun KA, Park HJ, Oh S, Batsukh S, Sun HJ, Kim T, Kim S, Kang D, Son KH, Byun K. High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Decreases Subcutaneous Fat Tissue Thickness by Increasing Apoptosis and Autophagy. Biomolecules. 2023 Feb 18;13(2):392. doi: 10.3390/biom13020392.

Swietlik JF, Knott EA, Longo KC, Zlevor AM, Zhang X, Laeseke PF, Reeder SB, Xu Z, Lee FT Jr, Ziemlewicz TJ. Histotripsy of Subcutaneous Fat in a Live Porcine Model. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2023 Jan;46(1):120-127. doi: 10.1007/s00270-022-03262-4. Epub 2022 Sep 12.

Click here for additional references from PubMed. 

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with diabetes. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. In type 1, the body has a reduction in the cells producing insulin, so the patient is insulin deficient. In type 2, the body either does not produce enough insulin or it has become resistant to insulin’s effects, so these patients are insulin resistant. The work that has been done with focused ultrasound is aimed at treating patients with type 2 diabetes.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces several therapeutic effects that are being evaluated. One mechanism is the precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) of the omentum, which has been used in preclinical studies for better control of blood sugar. A second mechanism is the focused ultrasound-enhanced delivery of drugs. A third mechanism is the use of focused ultrasound to perform targeted neuromodulation. This last mechanism has had significant investment, and is now involved in a clinical trial. It is believed that this last mechanism is helping to ‘reset’ the target that is used neurologically so that the body’s goal for glucose control is closer to the normal range.

Advantages
The primary options for treatment of diabetes include medication.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as surgical wound healing or infection – at a lower cost. Focused ultrasound can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue, and it can be repeated, if necessary.

Clinical Trials

A clinical trial delivering pulsed focused ultrasound to the portal region of the liver and to the superior mesenteric plexus is recruiting patients in Connecticut.

An upcoming clinical trial using focused ultrasound to stimulate the vagus nerve and reduce glycemia is organizing in Arizona.

A clinical trial is using low intensity focused ultrasound to help with painful diabetic neuropathy in China.  

 The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. 

See a list of laboratory research sites >

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement

Focused ultrasound treatment for diabetes is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Li X, Lin L, Zhu M, Li X, Yu J, Lu D, Li S, Shen Y, Xiong B, Zhao C, Zhou B, Yin H, Xu H, Guan X. Low-intensity focused ultrasound-activated piezoelectric gel bandage for diabetic wound repair and neuropathic pain relief. Nat Commun. 2026 Mar 19. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70771-y. PMID: 41857055 

Wang SY, Liu X, Li ZM, Deng CX, Chen KR, Zhuang SY, Xu B, Xu TC. Peripheral nerve-mediated glucose lowering: Mechanisms, translational strategies, and future perspectives. World J Diabetes. 2026 Jan 15;17(1):114535. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v17.i1.114535. PMID: 41608107 

Rasouli R, Hartl B, Konecky SD. Low-intensity ultrasound lysis of amyloid microclots in a lab-on-chip model. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2025 Jun 30;13:1604447. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1604447. eCollection 2025. PMID: 40661336 

Ashe J, Graf J, Madhavan R, Wallace K, Cotero V, Abate S, Pandey RK, Herzog R, Porindla SN, Shoudy D, Fan Y, Kao TJ, Puleo C. Investigation of liver-targeted peripheral focused ultrasound stimulation (pFUS) and its effect on glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a proof of concept, phase 1 trial. QJM. 2023 Sep 12;116(8):667-685. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hcad098. PMID: 37243693

Yi X, Luo Y, Zhou Q, Wang J, Yang Z. Visually controlled pulsatile release of insulin from chitosan poly-acrylic acid nanobubbles triggered by focused ultrasound. Int J Pharm. 2023 Jul 22;643:123266. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123266. PMID: 37482226 

Cotero V, Graf J, Miwa H, Hirschstein Z, Qanud K, Huerta TS, Tai N, Ding Y, Jimenez-Cowell K, Tomaio JN, Song W, Devarajan A, Tsaava T, Madhavan R, Wallace K, Loghin E, Morton C, Fan Y, Kao TJ, Akhtar K, Damaraju M, Barenboim L, Maietta T, Ashe J, Tracey KJ, Coleman TR, Di Carlo D, Shin D, Zanos S, Chavan SS, Herzog RI, Puleo C. Stimulation of the hepatoportal nerve plexus with focused ultrasound restores glucose homoeostasis in diabetic mice, rats and swine. Nat Biomed Eng. 2022 Mar 31. doi: 10.1038/s41551-022-00870-w.

Click here for additional references from PubMed.