By: Danae Roumis for Fibroids1For women who have been hesitant to treat their persistent fibroids (non-cancerous uterine tumors) with invasive surgery, ultrasound therapy may prove a worthy alternative. The Food and Drug Administration approved MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) in 2004 as a non-invasive alternative to other fibroid-removal procedures such as hysterectomy, myomectomy, and uterine fibroid embolization. While some of these operations can eliminate or compromise a woman’s ability to bear children – or shock the body into menopause – ultrasound surgery targets the fibroid directly.
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Fibroid symptoms can include heavy and/or irregular bleeding, painful periods, lower back pain, frequent urination, a bloating feeling of the pelvic area and sometimes reproductive problems.
Ultrasound therapy is a non-invasive procedure and may be a safe and effective alternative to surgery for treatment of fibroids.
Contact your physician if you notice any of these symptoms, or if you would like to consider ultrasound therapy. |
Ultrasound surgery does not require anesthesia and lasts only a few hours. Typically, women are mobile immediately following the procedure. The technique involves sending high-intensity ultrasound waves, as opposed to the low-intensity beams used for diagnostic imaging, straight through to the fibroid. The ultrasound beams cut off blood supply to the hard mass, softening its consistency and making it more likely to shrink over time.
The practice of MRI-guided focused ultrasound therapy is still in its early stages, and the first wave of research about this technique is just beginning to materialize. The August 1st issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology details a study by an international group of researchers whose objective was to explore long-term (24-month) effectiveness. Success was measured by the recurrent rates of surgery and treatment effects, including symptom severity, in the 359 female subjects. The majority of women experienced relieved symptoms as a result of the ultrasound therapy. The more receptive a woman’s body and more reactive the fibroid was to the ultrasound beams, the less likely a woman was to recur.
This study is a constructive step toward determining whether a less invasive procedure for fibroids might also have the added benefit of a lower recurrence rate. Unfortunately the cause of fibroids is not known, though the role of hormones and genetics is being considered. Reactions to different therapies vary based on the individual woman. Thus, decisions about fibroid treatment must be a joint effort between doctor and patient.
