Conference introducing new US – HIFU technique for the first time in Vietnam - Photo: VGP/HM
On the afternoon of April 12, Thien An Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital held a conference to introduce the new US-HIFU technique, which is available for the first time in Vietnam. This technique treats tumors with high-intensity focused ultrasound waves under ultrasound guidance and has been deployed at Thien An Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital since November 2024.
Breakthrough effectiveness in treating uterine fibroids, breast tumors...
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Tien, former Deputy Minister of Health , Director of Thien An Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital - the person who brought this advanced technique from the world to Vietnam, said that from November 1, 2024 to April 11, 2025, Thien An Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital treated 108 cases, including 60 cases of uterine fibroids, 43 cases of uterine adenomyosis, 2 cases of abdominal endometriosis, 2 cases of breast fibroids, and 1 case of liver cancer.
All patients after treatment had no complications, recovered quickly, and many patients were even discharged the next day when treated with this technique.
According to Professor Nguyen Viet Tien, the results of re-examination after one month in many patients showed that the tumor volume had significantly decreased by more than 60% for uterine fibroids and more than 80% for uterine myoma. Symptoms of abdominal pain, frequent urination, difficulty urinating, menorrhagia, hemorrhage... caused by large tumors in the past were also greatly reduced.
Previously, in October 2024, Thien An Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital successfully received the transfer of non-invasive tumor treatment technology using high-intensity focused ultrasound waves under ultrasound guidance (US - HIFU) - officially becoming the first medical unit in Vietnam to own this advanced technology. After completing the installation and technology transfer, on November 1, 2024, the Ministry of Health's appraisal team inspected and evaluated the HIFU JC300 system installed at the Hospital.
The Ministry of Health affirmed that this is a new technique never before seen in Vietnam and approved Thien An Obstetrics Hospital to pilot the first 20 patients treated for tumors with US-HIFU, in order to have a basis for evaluation before implementing this technique routinely.
After nearly 2 months of pilot implementation, Thien An Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital was officially licensed to implement the treatment of tumors using US - HIFU technique in medical examination and treatment according to Decision No. 3955/QD - BYT dated December 27, 2024 of the Minister of Health.
The technique of treating tumors with high-intensity focused ultrasound waves under ultrasound guidance is a non-invasive surgery (without using a knife) to treat tumors, which has been applied in many countries around the world . This is considered an excellent invention of world medicine - non-invasive surgery.
This technique is a breakthrough in the treatment of uterine fibroids, endometriosis, cesarean scar pregnancy, breast tumors... other benign and malignant tumors in soft tissue, liver, kidney, pancreas, bone, breast...
US - HIFU technique has breakthrough effectiveness in treating uterine fibroids, endometriosis, cesarean scar pregnancy, breast tumors... Photo: VGP/HM
Patients can be discharged after 1 day.
At the conference, Professor Lian Zhang, Chongqing HIFU Hospital, China - considered the cradle of modern HIFU technology, said that US - HIFU operates based on the principle of using the system's probe to convert electrical energy into sound energy, converting sound energy into heat energy, using the penetrating and converging properties of ultrasound waves to directly focus on target tissues in the body.
The temperature in the bioconvergence zone will immediately increase to 100 degrees Celsius, thereby denaturing the protein and causing the target tissue to become irreversibly coagulated, disrupting the blood supply to the pathogenic cells. The target tissue is "killed", thereby achieving the highest treatment effect. The tumor will self-destruct over time.
This method is performed without the use of deep anesthesia, without the use of a knife. During the treatment, the patient remains conscious, does not bleed, is painless, and can be discharged from the hospital 1 day later, or even on the same day.
US - HIFU application is expected to help patients improve their quality of life and longevity thanks to its advantages: non-invasive surgery, organ preservation, organ rehabilitation, fertility preservation, shortening hospital stay, and treatment of large tumors...
"Instead of having to go abroad for expensive medical treatment, Vietnamese people can now access cutting-edge medical techniques right in the country," emphasized Professor Nguyen Viet Tien.
The US - HIFU method is performed without the use of deep anesthesia or a knife - Photo: VGP/HM
The patient retains the uterus and the ability to give birth is maintained.
Ms. Pham Thi HT (29 years old) has multiple uterine fibroids, the largest of which is nearly 5cm. She is one of the first patients to be treated with US-HIFU at Thien An Obstetrics Hospital. Before being treated with this new technique, the tumor caused her pain and prolonged her menstrual cycle, and was also one of the reasons why she had an early miscarriage at the 20th week and could not reach motherhood.
With the US-HIFU technique, less than a day after treatment, she was able to walk and live normally. The results of a follow-up examination after 1 month showed that her nearly 5cm fibroid had reduced in size to 2cm - an extremely positive result, giving her more hope on her journey to find a child. Up to now, after nearly 5 months of treatment, she has become pregnant naturally and is preparing for motherhood.
Commenting on cases of uterine fibroid treatment with US - HIFU, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Tien affirmed that the most important thing is that the patient retains the uterus and maintains the ability to give birth. With previous open surgery or laparoscopic surgery, the patient's uterus must be incised. After removing the tumor, even if it is sutured, the uterine muscles will still be weak. In some cases, when pregnant, the uterus enlarges and the surgical site ruptures.
As for US - HIFU technique, currently in the world there are tens of thousands of cases of pregnancy, childbirth and there has not been a single case of uterine rupture after treating uterine fibroids with US - HIFU.
"Currently, countries such as Germany, Japan, UK, USA, Canada... all have guidelines on treatment using HIFU technique. We hope that in the near future, the Ministry of Health will have guidelines for HIFU treatment for Vietnam so that we can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world," Professor Nguyen Viet Tien proposed to Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan attending the conference.
With this technology, patients will have more opportunities to treat gynecological diseases, promising to contribute to breakthroughs in the field of infertility treatment. This is not only a big step forward for Thien An Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital but also has important significance for the overall development of Vietnam's healthcare system.
At the conference, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan emphasized that the launch and implementation of the tumor treatment technique using high-intensity focused ultrasound (US-HIFU) is a breakthrough in the country's medicine. This technique has been deployed in 33 countries around the world and has proven to be highly effective in the treatment process.
According to statistics, in Vietnam, the number of new cases of malignant tumors is on the rise, causing many challenges for the health sector in particular and the whole society in general. This requires us to constantly update, innovate and apply modern treatment methods to bring the highest efficiency to patients.
The Deputy Minister of Health assigned the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management to preside over research and evaluate the effectiveness of this technique in Vietnam, so that it can be widely deployed nationwide, and at the same time evaluate the cost in terms of health economics to consider adding this technique to the list of techniques covered by Health Insurance in the near future.
Hien Minh
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/loai-bo-khoi-u-khong-can-mo-bang-ky-thuat-moi-cho-hang-tram-benh-nhan-102250412165828695.htm
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