Focused Ultrasound Effective In Treating Uterine Fibroid Symptoms, Study Says

Main Category: MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 10 Aug 2007 - 9:00 PDT

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Focused ultrasound can be an effective treatment for uterine fibroid symptoms and might limit the need for subsequent procedures for at least two years, according to a study published in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, Reuters Health reports (Reuters Health, 8/6). Uterine fibroids, which are noncancerous uterine tumors, can cause pain, miscarriage, and lead to prolonged and heavy menstrual periods (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/7).

For the study, Elizabeth Stewart of the Mayo Clinic and colleagues treated 359 women in a total of four different clinical trials between 2002 and 2006. The participants were followed for an average of two to three years. The researchers used the focused ultrasound procedure to treat fibroids under magnetic resonance imaging guidance. According to Reuters Health, the technique involves focusing ultrasonic energy on an area "approximately the size of a jelly bean" under MRI guidance. MRI then provides an image of the extent of heating so that the target tissue is destroyed and adjacent healthy tissue is protected, according to Reuters Health.

Researchers said that all the women who underwent the treatment experienced significant decreases in the severity of fibroid symptoms three months after the procedure. They noted that the efficacy of the treatment depended on the degree to which the fibroid was deprived of its blood supply. According to researchers, the higher this "nonperfused volume," the lower symptom severity scores were. Participants with low nonperfused volumes were significantly more likely to require additional treatment during the follow-up period, the study found. They reported that 13% of the women overall required additional treatment within two years (Reuters Health, 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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