MRgFUS of Non-cancerous Uterine Fibroids Provides Long Term Symptom Relief

Filed in archive Diagnostics , Treatment on August 1, 2007

A Mayo Clinic-led collaborative study found that the innovative, non-invasive, outpatient treatment for non-cancerous fibroid uterine tumors -called magnetic resonance imaging guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) - has been found to provide sustained relief from symptoms.

MRgFUS - approved by the FDA since 2004 - is a novel noninvasive technology for the outpatient treatment of Fibroid uterine tumors.



In addition, the more completely tumors are destroyed by focused ultrasound, the more durable is the symptom relief while the incidence of severe side effects is low.

As explained by 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."
Uterine fibroid tumors (leiomyomas) are common noncancerous growths of the uterus that when symptomatic can cause severe abdominal and leg pain, excessive menstrual bleeding and abdominal bloating.

Find more details from the full report.

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