Enhanced MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Guidelines Demonstrates Improved Efficacy and Durability

In a study presented at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) annual meeting held on May 2007 in San Diego, CA, USA, Phyllis Gee, M.D., from the North Texas Uterine Fibroid Institute (Plano, TX, USA), showed 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 Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, UK) and InSightec (Tirat Carmel, Israel), a company that develops non-invasive therapy systems, developed the world's first MR-guided focused ultrasound system. InSightec's ExAblate 2000 system, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2004, works exclusively in combination with GE's Signa MR system to non-invasively treat symptomatic uterine fibroids.

"These findings further underscore the utility of MRgFUS as a long-lasting, non-invasive 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.”

Others findings presented at ACOG by David Lee, Ph.D., senior director, Health Economics and Outcomes Research, GE Healthcare, demonstrated that clinically significant uterine fibroids are common among women in their prime working years and are associated with several debilitating co-morbid conditions. The study also revealed that uterine fibroid treatments impose considerable 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.

According to U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH; Bethesda, MD, USA), uterine fibroids are the most common, non-cancerous tumors in women of childbearing age and the second most common reason reproductive women undergo surgery.

According to a report by the Rand Corp. (Santa Monica, CA, USA), an international non-profit research organization, direct costs associated with treating uterine fibroids are more than US$1 billion annually. Traditionally, treatment alternatives for uterine fibroids have included invasive and minimally invasive procedures such as hysterectomy, momentum, or uterine artery embolization (UAE).


Related Links:
North Texas Uterine Fibroid Institute
GE Healthcare
InSightec