Surgery Without a Knife

In Star Trek IV--which sends the original Star Trek cast back to 1980s San Francisco--Dr. Leonard McCoy at one point tells hospital surgeons to put away their knives so that he can repair a broken artery inside Pavel Chekov's head with an electronic gizmo. Direct energy surgery, in fact, is becoming more of a reality all the time. Focused ultrasound or some other form of energy could be concentrated to seal an internal wound or ruptured blood vessel or zap a tiny tumor, without ever having to cut someone open.

Just this month, FDA announced approval of what it says is the first focused ultrasound device to treat essential tremor. ExAblate Neuro, made by Insightec (Dallas), is meant for patients who have not responded to medication. It uses magnetic resonance (MR) images taken during the procedure to deliver focused ultrasound. 

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[Image courtesy of Insightec]