SHREVEPORT, La. — Willis Knighton Health said it is the first health system in North Louisiana to offer histotripsy, a noninvasive liver cancer treatment that uses high-frequency ultrasound waves to destroy tumors without surgery or radiation.
The procedure was performed by Gazi Zibari, director of the Willis Knighton Advanced Surgery Center. Histotripsy targets liver tumors using focused ultrasound technology and does not require incisions, needles or other invasive procedures.
According to Willis Knighton, the treatment is designed to reduce the risk of infection and complications while shortening recovery times compared with traditional approaches such as surgery, radiation therapy and ablation.
Zibari said he believes histotripsy could eventually replace radio frequency ablation and cryosurgery in liver cancer treatment. Earlier this year, he spoke on the role of robotic histotripsy in liver cancer treatment at the 11th Mesopotamian Health Congress in Erbil, Kurdistan, an international medical conference attended by Kurdish physicians and health experts.
“No longer will our patients with liver cancer have to travel far from home to have access to this novel technology,” Zibari said. “Willis Knighton Health leadership is committed to bringing the latest technology and most effective treatment options to our community to enhance quality patient care.”
In addition to Zibari, physicians Andrew Crane and Alana Hofmann at the Advanced Surgery Center also perform the histotripsy procedure.