'Invisible scalpel' treats chronic pain without incision

An ‘invisible scalpel’ has been developed to help physicians deliver treatments directly at the point of injury, without ever needing to cut into the patient.

Developed by Guided Therapy Systems, the Actisound Intense Therapeutic Ultrasound (ITU) works beneath the surface of a patient’s skin to deliver small, precise thermal ablations to soft tissues, stimulating collagen growth and the regeneration of connective tissue.

The device uses ultrasound to safely penetrate through the skin and focus on a specific point and shape within the body. Actisound has now received CE mark approval to be used by medical professionals across the UK and Europe.

Actisound is designed as an ablative treatment for pain relief associated with the repair of muscoskeletal injuries. Therapies such as steroid injections only temporarily reduce pain without addressing the injury. Other procedures such as stem cell injections or shockwave treatments can be costly and painful whereas traditional surgeries require longer recovery times for patients.

Actisound enables physicians to deliver treatments in just 10 minutes and has so far been associated with reduced pain and inflammation within 48-72 hours and soft tissue repair within four to 12 weeks.

The device has been tested in three multi-centre studies which showed that more than 80% of chronic patients enjoyed a reduction in pain as well as increased function and mobility, compared to traditional methods.

Michael Slayton, founder and CEO of Guided Therapy Systems, said: “CE mark is the result of many years of rigorous research, development and clinical testing. Starting today, Clinicians can offer a better, safer, and more efficient healing process. Actisound’s Intense Therapeutic Ultrasound represents a completely new treatment option that wasn’t before available to chronic patients, and it’s the only option (outside of conservative therapies) that doesn’t include painful or costly procedures.”