Histotripsy - Non-Invasive Ultrasound Treatment for Liver Tumors

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is now the only healthcare provider on California's Central Coast offering robotically assisted ultrasound-based histotripsy therapy.

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (SBCH) is now providing histotripsy, a groundbreaking, non-invasive treatment that uses focused ultrasound energy to precisely break down cancerous and benign liver tumors. SBCH is one of only a few hospitals nationwide—and the only hospital between Southern and Northern California—to offer this advanced technology.

What Is Histotripsy?

Histotripsy is an FDA-approved, robotically assisted, non-thermal, non-invasive procedure that uses high-frequency ultrasound waves and real-time imaging to target liver tumors with exceptional precision. The sound waves generate microscopic bubbles inside the tumor; as these bubbles rapidly collapse, they gently and accurately fragment the targeted tissue while leaving surrounding healthy tissue intact.

The body’s immune system then naturally clears away the treated tissue. Because the procedure uses no radiation, heat, needles, or incisions, most patients can complete treatment in a single outpatient visit.

How Histotripsy Works

• Histotripsy is a robotically assisted noninvasive focused ultrasound treatment that targets and destroys cancerous tissue without surgery or radiation.
• Your doctor uses real-time diagnostic ultrasound to continuously monitor the tumor and guide the procedure with precision.
• A soft membrane filled with purified (degassed) water is placed over the liver to help transmit ultrasound waves directly to the treatment area.
• The focused sound waves create a microscopic “bubble cloud” inside the tumor, which rapidly breaks apart only the cancerous tissue while protecting surrounding healthy tissue.
• The destroyed tumor tissue becomes tiny particles that your body naturally clears—fragments so small they cannot spread or grow back.

Who Is a Candidate for Histotripsy?

Histotripsy may not be suitable for every patient. Eligibility depends on several factors, including tumor size, number, and location. Patients should speak with their physician or a liver care specialist at SBCH to determine whether histotripsy is an appropriate treatment option.

Benefits of Histotripsy for Liver Tumor Treatment

• Completely non-invasive
• No radiation or thermal injury
• Minimal recovery time
• Can treat tumors that are difficult to reach surgically
• Potential option where other minimally invasive treatments are deemed too high risk due to proximity to vital structures
• May be appropriate for both cancerous and benign liver tumors

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Interventional Radiologists