MRI Guided Focused Ultrasound

MRgFUS

Important Notice – As of March 2018 the Birmingham Fibroid Clinic is no longer able to offer MRgFUS treatment. The clinic can still offer the full range of other minimally invasive fibroid treatments and can advise on suitability for MRgFUS in the context of other available treatments.

MR guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a non-invasive, out-patient procedure which uses focused ultrasound waves to destroy uterine fibroids, without affecting any of the other tissues around the fibroid. The procedure is conducted in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner which helps the radiologist “see” inside the body to pinpoint, guide, and continuously monitor the treatment. The focused ultrasound energy is directed at a small volume of the fibroid, raising its temperature high enough to cause thermal ablation (killing of the cells) without impacting other tissues. Pulses of energy are repeated until the entire volume is treated.

MRgFUS may be used to treat benign uterine fibroids (myomas) without surgery. This incision-free, uterine-sparing approach offers an potential alternative to treatments such as hysterectomy, myomectomy and UAE (uterine artery embolisation) but is only a suitable option for a small subset of fibroid patients.

Dr. Crowe, through the Birmingham Fibroid Clinic, was in a position to offer this state of the art treatment at the Spire Parkway Hospital in Solihull but that service has now been discontinued by the hospital on commercial grounds.