ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A noninvasive, outpatient treatment for noncancerous uterine tumors provides sustained relief from symptoms, according to a new Mayo Clinic led collaborative study.
The study of this innovative treatment approach -- called magnetic resonance imaging guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) -- also shows that the more completely tumors are destroyed by focused ultrasound, the more durable the symptom relief. In addition, the incidence of severe side effects is low. Combined, these results produce an overall improved quality of life. The report by Mayo and its collaborators, the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Guided Focused Ultrasound for Uterine Fibroid Group at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, appears in the Aug. 1 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology ( http://www.greenjournal.org/future/110.2.shtml ).
Significance of the Mayo Clinic Collaboration
Explains Mayo Clinic reproductive endocrinologist Elizabeth Stewart, M.D., the study’s lead author: “Up to one-third of women who undergo alternatives to hysterectomy to treat fibroids experience recurrence of fibroids, so demonstrating the durability of focused ultrasound is important. Our study does this by examining rates of subsequent surgery for fibroid tumor symptoms and other key outcomes such as uterine shrinkage. Finally, our study demonstrates that the more completely you treat the fibroids, the better the outcomes are.”
Evidence indicates that this novel technology, in the hands of experienced care-giving teams, is an effective, durable treatment for uterine fibroid tumors that safely produces sustained relief of symptoms, Dr. Stewart says.
About Focused Ultrasound
Unlike other alternatives to hysterectomy, focused ultrasound does not depend on the insertion of devices, needles or catheters into the body. High-energy sound waves are directed precisely through the abdominal wall to targeted fibroid tissues. Thermal energy destroys the growths by coagulating the blood supply, while preserving healthy tissue. MRI images help physicians visualize the tissue volume and location and gauge the temperature of treated tissue.
About Uterine Fibroid Tumors
About the Study
Collaboration and Support
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Contact: Amy Tieder
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Obstetrics and Gynecology