Product: Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Developer: Dr. Kobi Vortman Company: Insightec Ltd. Year of Foundation: 1999
People normally associate operating rooms with disturbing images, blood and scalpels. Insightec’s operating rooms are a far cry from this perception. The company is developing a noninvasive operating room instituting state-of-the-art technology that spares the need for incisions, thus reducing the potential for complications, and improving patients’ quality of life.
Treatments result in short or no hospitalization, after which patients can expect a fast return to normal activities.
Treatments are currently being offered in the field of neurosurgery, mostly for the treatment of movement disorders such as essential tremor and Parkinsonian tremor, for uterine fibroids, and for pain palliation of metastatic bone cancer.
Dr. Kobi Vortman, founder of Insightec, developed this technology called Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS). The principle behind the technology is thermal ablation of target tissue with the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound for symptom relief. The MRI device provides physicians clear imaging of the treatment area and of adjacent organs, measuring the temperature of the tissue throughout all stages of the procedure, providing real-time feedback to evaluate efficacy and safety.
In 2004, Insightec’s pioneer device, Exablate, received FDA approval for the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids (benign uterine tumors). In 2012, the company received FDA approval for pain palliation of metastatic bone cancer that
does not respond to radiation. In 2016, Insightec received FDA approval for Exablate Neuro for the treatment of patients with medication-refractory essential tremor.
The company’s development, manufacturing and distribution centers are located in Haifa and Kiryat Ono, with offices in the US, Japan, China and Europe. Insightec is continuously investing in, and expanding upon its R&D applications, and has won numerous awards worldwide for medical innovation.
Since its inception, the company’s vision has been to improve the quality of life for millions of people and patients across the globe. Insightec has made great strides in making this vision a reality, and continues to break new ground in the fields of neurosurgery and neuroscience.
