Haifa's Rambam tests incision-free ultrasound treatment for enlarged prostate

Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa has carried out a first-in-human clinical trial of an Israeli-developed device that treats benign prostate enlargement with focused ultrasound applied through the skin, Ynetnews reported on 15 July 2026, followed by JNS and the Tazpit Press Service the next day. The technology was developed by Rambam's Department of Urology together with the Israeli medical startup Nina Medical.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, a non-cancerous growth of the prostate, is one of the most common conditions in men over 50; the Global Burden of Disease study estimated that some 94 million men aged 40 and over were living with it in 2019. As the gland presses on the urethra it causes a weak stream, urgency, repeated night-time waking and, in severe cases, infections, bladder stones or kidney damage. Drugs help many men but not all, and the usual next step is surgery performed through the urethra, which needs anaesthesia and a hospital stay and can cause bleeding or affect sexual function. Dr Alexander Kravtsov, a senior urologist at Rambam, said many men put off treatment because of embarrassment and fear of these procedures.

The new device is placed against the skin between the scrotum and the anus. It combines live ultrasound imaging with high-intensity focused ultrasound that heats and destroys a targeted area of prostate tissue, shrinking the gland and easing urine flow. According to the developers, a session takes 10 to 30 minutes, with no incisions, anaesthesia or hospitalisation, and the company's aim is for it eventually to be performed in a doctor's office.

Early results were described as encouraging, but the study is a first-in-human trial designed mainly to test safety and feasibility. Larger trials will be needed before the treatment could become widely available.