From the July 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
MR-guided focused ultrasound is another treatment option that is appealing to patients because it targets and treats only the fibroids. During treatment, the patient lies on a treatment bed inside an MR imaging scanner, not an operating room. The treating physician directs ultrasound beams through the skin with no incision directly into the fibroid to heat and ablate, or destroy the fibroid tissue, leaving healthy adjacent tissue around it intact. There are no incisions and no catheters. The treatment is normally an outpatient procedure, so patients can go home the same day. I’ve had patients who can do yoga, or go running the next day. This is a good option for women who want their fibroids treated, but want to preserve their reproductive organs. There is a very low risk of skin burns.
And finally, there is a procedure called a myomectomy, which is a surgical procedure that enables removal of only the fibroids. Depending on the location of the fibroids, a myomectomy can be performed with an abdominal incision, laparoscopically or vaginally. Each has its own pros and cons. This is an option for women who want to preserve their reproductive organs. However, patients can develop scar tissue, which would make pregnancy challenging.
http://www.fibroideducation.com/quiz.html
About the author: Maria Rivlin is the vice president of women’s health at INSIGHTEC and is responsible for developing the global market for women's health. She focuses on increasing awareness for noninvasive MR-guided focused ultrasound for symptomatic uterine fibroids.
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