Geek’s 2007 SIR Abstract Report 3: Pregnancy after MRgFUS for Uterine Fibroids – First Experiences

This is the third installment of my geeky science series on the abstracts and posters presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 32nd annual Scientific Meeting held March 1 – March 6, 2007.

Pregnancy after MRgFUS for Uterine Fibroids: First Experiences

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ExAblate 2000 (MRgFUS) non-invasive fibroid treatment receives two new associated approvals by the FDA

Received an email message from a visitor who wanted to pass along this information about the additional ExAblate 2000 approvals by the FDA. Thanks for the update!

From the email message:

The FDA approved new software that allows the ExAblate 2000 incisionless surgery procedure to be performed more efficiently by permitting more sonications during the same treatment window. This means that women with fibroids can be treated faster and women with larger fibroids may now be eligible for the outpatient procedure. The greater the area of the fibroid that a physician can treat, the greater the symptom relief. The agency is also allowing the system to be used with a more powerful open MRI machine, which means the physicians will have an even more precise view inside the woman’s body.

You can click the links to view the full press releases on Insightec’s web site but I included excerpts…

What’s involved with pre-op testing before a fibroid procedure?

I sense that some of you get a little nervous about pre-op testing so here’s some information. I’ll start with a quote from Lab Tests Online that provides a guide on test preparation:

One of the most important factors in determining the accuracy and reliability of your lab test is you, the patient. After all, it is a sample from your body (blood, urine, or some other specimen) on which the test will be performed. Therefore, it is essential that you do the following to ensure that the results will be useful:

Yet another letter addressed to my cervix

Checked the mail and there it was. A message signed by my dashing young fibroid doctor (AKA Mighty Mouse):

I am happy to inform you that your recent Pap smear returned within normal limits.

These results are from an exam I had about 3 weeks ago. Everything is fine. My fibroids are shrinking. My symptoms have vastly improved. I feel well. In fact, I’m not scheduled for another exam by my GYN until next year.

Another meeting with the debonair fibroid doctor

That would be my Interventional Radiologist (AKA Batman). I had my 6-month post-UFE MRI on last Wednesday. Stay tuned for that post because the experience was pretty funny. Remember my first MRI? Much better this time.

So, I saw my IR on yesterday. The rest of this post is taken directly from a comment I left on one of my update posts in response to Aly Fibroids who just HAD to know my results:

I was so excited because I KNEW everything had to be smaller. I feel so well. Things just must look better inside.

Does anyone have a dilation (dilatation) and curettage (D&C) experience to share?

From the original visitor question: (Click the link to view the entire comment.)

Tameka:…the doctor said that the fibroids sizes were relatively small compared to my uterus size. She was concerned about the size and wondered if I had more fibroids than the sonogram or something else. She recommended a D & C to see what else is going on? Has anyone every had a D&C during their fibroid experience?

I’ll leave a couple of links. Visit Wikipedia for general information and additional medical references including a D&C guide by the World Health Organization. Here’s a quote from the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia:

D and C is a procedure to scrape and collect the tissue (endometrium) from inside the uterus. Dilatation (“D”) is a widening of the cervix to allow instruments into the uterus. Curettage (“C”) is the scraping of the contents of the uterus. The vaginal canal is held open by a speculum, and the opening to the uterus (cervix) may be anesthetized. The cervical canal is widened using a metal rod, and a curette (a metal loop on the end of a long, thin handle) is passed through the canal into the uterine cavity. The inner layer of the uterus (endometrium) is scraped away, and the tissue is collected for examination.

Dilation and curettage (Wikipedia)
D and C (Medline Plus/ US National Library of Medicine)

If you have a D&C experience or thoughts/questions, please leave a comment here.

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Related Post:
I just call it The Gator

Does anyone have an experience with ExAblate (MRgFUS)?

From the original comment on the ExAblate (MRgFUS) procedure:

Ruth: I’ve been investigating ExAblate as a potential candidate for over a year now, and finally had my consult at Virtua in NJ, with a 2nd opinion at Weill-Cornell in NYC. I really want to hear from anyone who has had this procedure…

Other comments: (Click the link to view the whole comment or the off-site link for more info.)

aiyin: Here’s an alternative procedure for zapping those pesky uterine fibroids. Unfortunately, it is so new my gynecologist never heard of it … http://www.universitymri.com/imageguided/fus_faq.html

Ellen: I am hoping that I will be eligible. Three SEDATED hours in an MRI, belly-down, while they blast the fibroids with ultrasound.

aiyin: Here’s more about ExAblate:
http://www.uterine-fibroids.org/index.html

The Related Post at the bottom contains information I gathered from a TIME magazine article as well as a few links to the ExAblate (MRgFUS) site.

[Edited to add the ExAblate toll-free number (US): 1 866 EXABLATE (1 866 392 2528). Thanks Randee!]

Leave a comment if you have an ExAblate experience (pre- or post-treatment), questions, or thoughts.

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Related Posts:
New treatment uses sound waves to shrink uterine fibroid tumors
ExAblate 2000 (MRgFUS) non-invasive fibroid treatment receives two new associated approvals by the FDA