Histotripsy

A photograph of a device that can perform surgery without incisions.

Imagine for a moment surgery without the need for knives, needles, or even incisions at all. Where energy can be directed from outside of the body to a precise part of the body to destroy overgrown tissue, tumors, and cancers. This is histotripsy, the future of surgery. Histotripsy is a device created by BME Professor Zhen Xu that sends targeted sound waves into the body to target specific parts that doctors and their patients want removed from their bodies.

Photo: Joseph Xu/Senior Multimedia Content Producer, University of Michigan - College of Engineering