MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Improves Uterine Fibroid Treatment

MAY 9, 2007 - Data released in a poster at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) annual meeting show that MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a more effective option for a broader population of uterine fibroid sufferers.
Phyllis Gee, M.D. of the North Texas Uterine Fibroid Institute in Plano, TX, presented the test results showing that women undergoing MRgFUS experience rapid and sustained relief from their condition and have a reduced need for alternative, invasive treatments in the future.
GE and InSightec, a company that develops non-invasive therapy systems, developed reportedly the first magnetic resonance (MR) image guided focused ultrasound system. InSightec’s ExAblate 2000 system, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2004, works exclusively in combination with GE’s Signa MR system to noninvasively treat symptomatic uterine fibroids.
"These findings further underscore the utility of MRgFUS as a long-lasting, noninvasive option for the millions of women suffering from uterine fibroids,” said Dr. Gee. “With these expanded treatment guidelines, we are able to successfully treat more of the tumor and virtually eliminate the need for future hysterectomies.”
Additional data presented at ACOG this week by David Lee, Ph.D., senior director, Health Economics and Outcomes Research, GE Healthcare, showed that clinically significant uterine fibroids are common among women in their prime working years and are associated with several debilitating co-morbid conditions. The research also showed that uterine fibroid treatments impose substantial direct and indirect costs on employers, and that nearly one in three women treated surgically for uterine fibroids experiences an adverse event.
“These new data suggest that uterine fibroids impose a substantial clinical burden on women, and a tremendous economic burden on employers. MRgFUS holds the promise of lessening this burden by offering women a non-invasive treatment option for this debilitating condition,” said Dr. Lee.