Research progress and clinical evaluation of histotripsy: a narrative review

Abstract

As a soft-tissue noninvasive ablation technology, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has been widely used to treat many clinical diseases. However, traditional HIFU, based on thermal effects, has a high local working temperature, which may cause thermal damage to surrounding tissues and reduce the therapeutic effect. Based on the cavitation effect of HIFU, histotripsy can mechanically destroy the cells in the target lesion. This paper aims to explain the mechanism of histotripsy, summarize the research progress of animal models for clinical evaluation and clinical application, and analyze the advantages and limitations of histotripsy.