Focused ultrasound development and clinical adoption: 2013 update on the growth of the field

The field of therapeutic focused ultrasound, which first emerged in the 1940s, has seen significant growth, particularly over the past decade. The eventual widespread clinical adoption of this non-invasive therapeutic modality require continued progress, in a multitude of activities including technical, pre-clinical, and clinical research, regulatory approval and reimbursement, manufacturer growth, and other commercial and public sector investments into the field, all within a multi-stakeholder environment. We present here a snapshot of the field of focused ultrasound and describe how it has progressed over the past several decades. It is assessed using metrics which include quantity and breadth of academic work (presentations, publications), funding trends, manufacturer presence in the field, number of treated patients, number of indications reaching first-in-human status, and quantity and breadth of clinical indications.