Transurethral needle ablation (
TUNA) is a globally approved technique which can be done with a
local anestheticA local anesthetic is a drug that causes reversible local anesthesia and a loss of nociception. When it is used on specific nerve pathways , effects such as analgesia and paralysis can be achieved....
on an outpatient basis, and uses low energy
radio frequencyRadio frequency is a frequency, or rate of oscillation, of electromagnetic radiation within the range of about 3 Hz to 300 GHz. This range corresponds to the frequency of alternating current electrical signals used to produce and detect radio waves...
energyIn physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of work that can be performed by a force, an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law...
delivered through two needles to ablate (destroy) excess
prostateThe prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male mammalian reproductive system. Females do not have prostate glands...
tissue. A
catheterIn medicine a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, injection of fluids or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization. In most uses a catheter is a thin, flexible tube , although...
that deploys the needles toward the obstructing prostate tissue is inserted into the urethra directly through the penis under local anesthetic before the procedure begins.
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Transurethral needle ablation (
TUNA) is a globally approved technique which can be done with a
local anestheticA local anesthetic is a drug that causes reversible local anesthesia and a loss of nociception. When it is used on specific nerve pathways , effects such as analgesia and paralysis can be achieved....
on an outpatient basis, and uses low energy
radio frequencyRadio frequency is a frequency, or rate of oscillation, of electromagnetic radiation within the range of about 3 Hz to 300 GHz. This range corresponds to the frequency of alternating current electrical signals used to produce and detect radio waves...
energyIn physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of work that can be performed by a force, an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law...
delivered through two needles to ablate (destroy) excess
prostateThe prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male mammalian reproductive system. Females do not have prostate glands...
tissue. A
catheterIn medicine a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, injection of fluids or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization. In most uses a catheter is a thin, flexible tube , although...
that deploys the needles toward the obstructing prostate tissue is inserted into the urethra directly through the penis under local anesthetic before the procedure begins. Some clinical studies have reported that TUNA improves the urine flow with minimal side effects when compared with other procedures.
History
The TUNA system was pioneered by serial entrepreneur Stu Edwards of California, USA.
The device was the product for a startup company called Vidamed, which was founded by Stu D. Edwards along with Ron G. Lax, Hugh Sharky and Ingemar Lundquist, in Menlo Park, California, prior to building an international global corporation headed up by Lyle F. Brotherton.
The company was floated in an IPO on the US NASDAQ Stock Market in 1995.
The company was acquired by
MedtronicMedtronic, Inc. , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the world's largest medical technology company. Listed among Fortune 500 companies, Medtronic is a publicly traded company and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MDT...
in 1996