By: Jennifer Jope for Fibroids1
If you suffer from uterine fibroids and have weighed the options of dealing with the pain or undergoing surgery, then you know that neither choice is pleasant. But women with this condition can now look forward to an outpatient, non-surgical procedure with little pain and good results, thanks to technology that combines an MRI and ultrasound.| Take Action |
Do you suffer from uterine fibroids but they’re not severe enough for surgery and you haven’t made up your mind about ExAblate 2000? Try these at-home remedies to curb the bleeding that stems from fibroids:
Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen.
Take vitamin and herbal remedies for anemia or heavy bleeding.
Try hormonal treatment, such as birth control pills.
If these treatments work for you, you may not need to undergo surgery or outpatient treatment. |
Various MRI centers in the United States offer this new treatment for uterine fibroids. With an FDA-approved ultrasound, the treatment breaks down the fibroid tumors in the uterus. According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, the device used is called the ExAblate 2000. It marries two well-known technologies: an MRI machine and an ultrasound. The MRI is used to assess the patient’s body, the amount of fibroid tissue that needs to be treated, and the temperature of the uterine tissue after it’s been heated by the ultrasound beam. The high frequency ultrasound creates heat and breaks down the fibroids.The National Uterine Fibroids Foundation estimates that up to 80 percent of women suffer from fibroids, which can cause heavy bleeding, discomfort in the pelvis and pressure on other organs. Fibroids are essentially muscle and other tissue that has grown within the wall of the uterus. They are typically benign and can vary in size from small to as large as a grapefruit. Before this technology, women who suffered from painful fibroids had to choose between a handful of surgical procedures, such as the hysterectomy and myomectomy.
While this non-invasive procedure is good news for women suffering from fibroid symptoms, the treatment takes a few hours, depending on the severity of the condition. However, recent research has confirmed that the procedure can be done more efficiently with new technology. The National Women’s Health Information Center states that the treatment, which requires the patient to lie in an MRI machine, can last up to three hours. But earlier this month, InSightec, the company that manufactures the technology, announced that they had gotten FDA approval on a more efficient version of ExAblate 2000.
“The new version utilizes an ‘interleaved’ mode of treatment whereby the system targets different parts of the fibroid, allowing the recently ablated [broken down] tissue area to cool while the focus moves onto other areas of the fibroid,” stated a March 1 press release from InSightec. “This reduces the cooling time required.”
The revamped ExAblate 2000 also gives doctors more control when steering the ultrasound beam, which “maximizes the energy in the focal point, allowing significantly more volume to be treated for the same amount of energy applied.”
With any treatment, of course, there can be drawbacks. Not all fibroids can be treated with this method and some women may still have to undergo surgery to get rid of uterine fibroids. If fibroids are close to organs, such as the bladder, it is less likely that ExAblate 2000 can treat them. InSightec does claim that the upgrade in technology allows doctors to better identify bowels, bones and nerves.
Although it is believed that this procedure can save a woman’s fertility, research is still being done to confirm. There are questions about whether the heat from the ultrasound will negatively impact the uterus. There are many factors to consider when undergoing any medical treatment. Be sure to weigh the options with your physician to determine if this new technology is right for you.
