Prostate Cancer on the Increase, Treatment Now Available in Costa Rica
U.S. HIFU, LLC, the exclusive distributor of the Sonablate® 500 in North, Central and South America, has partnered with International Hospital Corporation (IHC) and CIMA hospital to make High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) with the Sonablate® 500 for prostate disease available throughout Costa Rica.

"U.S. HIFU and CIMA have joined forces to provide HIFU with the Sonablate® 500 and spread awareness about this non invasive treatment option across Central America," Steve Puckett Jr., U.S. HIFU Chief Executive Officer said. "Men in Costa Rica now have access to the latest technology for the treatment of prostate disease."

HIFU with the Sonablate® 500 will first be available in Costa Rica at Hospital CIMA in San José. CIMA operates private hospitals throughout Mexico and Latin America. Hospital CIMA in San José, one of the most modern hospitals in Central America. Having opened in 2000, the hospital offers a full range of diagnostic, emergency medical and surgical services.

Gary B. Wood, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Board of IHC said, "We are extremely pleased to offer this innovative new technology for the treatment of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) at our facility in Costa Rica. We are excited about this new venture that will bring a device already proven effective in Europe and Asia to Central America for the first time."

The Sonablate® 500, developed by Focus Surgery, Inc., of Indianapolis, IN and manufactured by Misonix, Inc., of Farmingdale, NY, is a minimally invasive medical device that uses sound waves to rapidly heat and destroy tissue in the prostate without harming surrounding nerves or tissue.

Several Costa Rican physicians have already begun training and will be the first to offer the procedure to patients in early 2006 including Dr. Arieh Grunhaus and Dr. Avelino Hernandez who have both attended International HIFU Training sessions in Mexico with U.S. HIFU medical director Dr. George Suarez. A number of other Costa Rican doctors have expressed interest in HIFU training as well and will also be trained on the Sonablate® 500.

"Our Costa Rican urology partners will become a very important center for training other doctors in Latin America. We are delighted to be working with such a prestigious medical institution in Costa Rica that already offers some of the most advanced medical procedures available today," Suarez said.

According to the Costa Rican Ministry of Health, the incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer have increased since the early 1990s. In the year 2000, approximately 45 of every 100,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. HIFU with the Sonablate® 500 is a non-surgical, radiation- free alternative for the treatment of prostate disease.

HIFU with the Sonablate® 500 delivers therapy through a transrectal probe after a patient is given spinal or epidural anesthesia. HIFU is a one- time treatment that does not require an incision and results in very little blood loss.

Although the Sonablate® 500 does not yet have United States FDA approval, the next phase of clinical trials for localized prostate cancer are expected to begin soon. Worldwide over 4,000 men have been treated for prostate disease with Sonablate® technology. International data shows promising results with low incidences of impotence and urinary incontinence, which are common side effects of traditional treatment modalities such as surgery or radiation.