Focused ultrasound can be an shit treatment for uterine fibroid symptoms and might limit the stress concerning subsequent procedures for at least two years, according to a survey published in the Aug. 1 issuance of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, Reuters Health reports (Reuters Health, 8/6). Uterine fibroids, which are noncancerous uterine tumors, can give rise to pain, miscarriage, and lead to prolonged and heavy menstrual periods (Kaiser Daily Women’s Vigour Programme Report, 3/7).
For the ponder, Elizabeth Stewart of the Mayo Clinic and colleagues treated 359 women in a total of four rare clinical trials between 2002 and 2006. The participants were followed someone is concerned an regular of two to three years. The researchers acclimated to the focused ultrasound form to present fibroids under arresting resonance imaging guidance. According to Reuters Healthiness, the technique involves focusing ultrasonic drive on an area “approximately the size of a jelly bean” beneath MRI guidance. MRI then provides an image of the dimensions of heating so that the objective pile is destroyed and adjacent healthy tissue is protected, according to Reuters Health.
Researchers said that all the women who underwent the treatment savvy relevant decreases in the gravity of fibroid symptoms three months after the approach. They noted that the efficacy of the treatment depended on the magnitude to which the fibroid was deprived of its blood supply. According to researchers, the higher this “nonperfused volume,” the diminish syndrome severity scores were. Participants with low nonperfused volumes were significantly more likely to require additional treatment during the follow-up epoch, the study found. They reported that 13% of the women all-embracing required additional treatment within two years (Reuters Haleness, 8/6).
Reaction
According to the New York Times, neither the study nor an interview with Stewart “yielded a clear-cut answer” to the question of how much sustained relief is offered by the procedure. “We all want to know the long-term efficacy of focused ultrasound,” Stewart said. She added, “The problem we had for addressing that in this study is that the patients treated at the very beginning were getting very different treatments than the people treated later.”
William Parker, director of the not-for-profit National Uterine Fibroids Foundation, said, “Much of the data one would expect to see in this kind of study is missing,” adding, “As a clinician, this doesn’t help me.” Carla Dionne, NUFF executive director, also said the presentation of the data in the study was incomplete. She added that she is concerned the study did not provide detailed information on potential adverse effects, such as burns and nerve damage.
The study was financed by InSightec, an Israel-based company that makes the treatment equipment. According to the Times, all the data about the treatment outcomes have been generated by clinical trials financed by InSightec. There are no studies available that compare focused ultrasound with other fibroid therapies or with placebos, the Times reports (Rabin, New York Times, 8/7).
The study abstract is available online.
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