High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, or HIFU, is a therapy that destroys tissue with rapid heat elevation, which essentially "cooks" the tissue. Ultrasound energy, or sound waves, is focused at a specific location and at that "focal point" the temperature rises to 90 degrees Celsius in a matter of seconds...MORE

What Sets Dr. Wheeler Apart?

1. 20+ Years of Experience
2. PSA & Pre-Screening Process
3. MRI-S Alternative Biopsy Procedure
4. The HIFU Experience - Alternative to Surgery

Meet Dr. Ronald Wheeler

Dr. Ronald Wheeler is the consummate Urologic Professional who has treated more patients from more states and countries than any other HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound) Doctor worldwide. You will never meet a more personable, confident, compassionate, dedicated and accomplished human being in the field of prostate cancer. Dr. Wheeler attributes his excellence in HIFU outcome data on a comprehensive imaging skill set that has been developed over more than 20 years, having trained in ultrasound under Katsuto Shinohara at the University of California at San Francisco and Fred Lee from Rochester Hills, Michigan, respected experts in the field of ultrasonography. Dr. Wheeler is also an expert in prostate magnetic resonance imaging spectroscopy (MRI-S) having trained under John Kurhanewitz, PhD and his team at the University of California at San Francisco. Dr. Wheeler has made an impact in the lives of more than 500 men who have scanned at the Diagnostic Center for Disease™ in a little more than 2 years.

Dr. Wheeler’s attention to detail is like none other, while his selection process for HIFU candidacy is based on the results of the PanAm HIFU Protocol, a unique diagnostic concept that includes ultrasound analysis in gray scale and color flow ‘power Doppler’ modes as well as the use of the 3.0 Tesla MRI-Spectroscopy scan for every patient considering this patient friendly treatment option. Specifically, the ultrasound allows for an assessment of prostate size, an assessment of calcification (prostate stones) and cysts that could alter the energy delivered at the time of HIFU, while a 3 T MRI-Spectroscopy scan provides the most sophisticated ‘GPS’ view of the prostate; providing an empirical evidence based assessment of cancer location(s), capsular integrity, Seminal Vesicle involvement, lymph node involvement or invasion of the bony structures within the pelvis. If prostate cancer is found early and the patient qualifies for treatment, expect a cure rate approaching 100%. According to Dr. Wheeler, a patient with a Gleason score of 7 or less, a PSA of not greater than 10 and organ confinement of cancer as determined by the 3.0 Tesla MRI-S scan, the cure of prostate cancer is a virtual certainty with HIFU. Presently Radical Prostatectomy (including the Robot) or Radiation therapy (delivered by any modality) commonly fail by 7-10 years due to a lack of appropriate imaging. Rather than use imaging, most physicians depend on a best guess scenario regarding tumor location predicated on biased biopsy data or non-specific tests like a CAT scan, Prostascint scan or PET scan. 3 T MRI-S eliminates the ignorance and confusion by providing a ‘road map’ through an objective validation process, demonstrating the exact location and extent of tumor, thereby enhancing any treatment plan where the expectation is cure.

If you are mindful that you can’t treat what you can’t see, you will begin to understand why Dr. Wheeler holds a distinct advantage over comparably trained physicians who fail to understand and implement the PanAm HIFU Protocol.  Clearly, better imaging allows for better decisions which in turn allow for a better treatment plan with an expected level of excellence in the outcome.  According to Dr. Wheeler, the PanAm HIFU Protocol allows the patient to know the expected result of the HIFU treatment prior to the procedure ever being performed. For a personal consult with Dr. Wheeler please fill out this form and one of our patient advocates will contact you. There is no obligation or fee for this call.

Here are Some Key Questions to Consider

• What is HIFU?
• What Sets PanAm HIFU Apart From Others?
• Why should I consider a prostate mapping MRI scan if I have had a HIFU procedure?
• Why Do I Need to Travel Outside the U.S. for the HIFU Procedure?