Patient information for the MR Therapy Centre.
Based at St Mary’s Hospital in central London, the MR Therapy Centre is an innovative private clinic, specialising in the treatment of tumours using Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (MRgFUS). The MR Therapy Centre is at present the only clinic in the United Kingdom to offer MRgFUS to patients.
1. Do you suffer from uterine fibroids?
2. How do I know if I’m a candidate for MRgFUS?
3.What is MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS)?
4. What are the benefits of MRgFUS?
5. What happens during the procedure?
7. What are the risk of MRgFUS?
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1. Do you suffer from uterine fibroids?
If you do or know someone who does, then you also know that uterine fibroids can be painful and uncomfortable, causing cramping, abdominal pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, anaemia, frequent urination, constipation and distended stomachs.
Uterine fibroids are the most common benign (non-cancerous) tumour in women. Approximately 20-40% of women older than 35 have fibroids. Fibroids occur more frequently in African / Afro-Caribbean women. Fibroids account for many medical visits, tests, medications, and medical procedures. They are also a major contributory factor for work absences and reduced quality of life.
Until now, most treatment options were invasive surgical procedures. With MR-guided Focused Ultrasound, you have a non-invasive treatment alternative, which eliminates fibroid related symptoms in an outpatient setting, without the need for incisions, anaesthesia or hospitalisation.
Based at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, the MR Therapy Centre is a dedicated treatment centre for MRI and MRgFUS. Our medical consultants are among the most experienced doctors world-wide in clinical and research aspects of MRgFUS, having carried out this procedure since 2002. With easy access, a well equipped outpatient facility and a highly specialised team, the MR Therapy Centre is an excellent choice for your MRgFUS procedure.
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2. How do I know if I’m a candidate for MRgFUS?
You should ask your gynaecologist or GP to refer you to the MR Therapy Centre at St Mary’s Hospital for assessment. All women will need to undergo an MRI scan to determine if their fibroid(s) can be treated and this can be carried out locally or at St Mary’s Hospital. If you are not under the care of a gynaecologist, you will need to undergo a gynaecology assessment at St Mary’s Hospital.
NHS and private referrals can be accepted and investigations to assess your suitability can be carried out on the NHS. However, the treatment is currently only available privately or where local Primary Care Trust “special cases” funding has been obtained.
Additional information about MRgFUS, including a full list of journal publications, is available from www.uterine-fibroids.org.
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3. What is MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS)?
MRgFUS is a completely non-invasive technique that allows your doctor to see inside your body, find your fibroid and treat it without surgery.
The procedure is conducted whilst lying prone in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. MRI is necessary to visualise the location of the fibroid and the surrounding tissues and organs in the ultrasound beam path, and to guide and continuously monitor the treatment without radiation. High intensity focused ultrasound is directed to a small volume of the fibroid, raising its temperature high enough to cause cell death.
Patients are treated in an outpatient setting using light sedation only. Following the procedure, rest is required for 1-2 hours while the sedation wears off but no overnight stay is required and the patient will walk out of the treatment centre following the procedure. Normal activity should be resumed in one or two days.
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4. What are the benefits of MRgFUS?
MRgFUS is an outpatient procedure designed to reduce your fibroid related symptoms, resulting in a significant improvement in your quality of life. It is a non-invasive alternative to surgery or hormonal treatments. Your uterus and cervix are not removed and your fertility is potentially preserved. It involves no hospital stay and allows you to return to your normal routine in a few days.
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5. What happens during the procedure?
During the 3-4 hour procedure, you lie on your stomach on a table inside an MRI scanner. Sedation and pain medication are given to help you relax. You are conscious throughout the procedure and your doctor communicates with you. The doctor obtains MR images of your uterus and uses these to plan your treatment.
Individual pulses of focused ultrasound energy, called “sonications”, each lasting about 20 seconds, are applied to your fibroid until your doctor is satisfied with treatment. Afterwards, MR images are taken to evaluate treatment effectiveness.
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6. What happens after MRgFUS?
Following the procedure, you rest for 1-2 hours while the sedation wears off. You may experience some abdominal pain, cramping or nausea. If necessary, your doctor will provide instructions for medication to keep you comfortable upon discharge. Usually, only over-the-counter pain relief medication is required. You may experience some cramping, similar to that experienced during a menstrual period, or shoulder or back pain that lasts a few days after the procedure from lying still during the treatment. Most women are able to return to work and normal activity within 1-2 days.
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7. What are the risk of MRgFUS?
As with any medical procedure, there are risks involved with the MRgFUS procedure. These risks could include minor skin burns, temporary back or leg pain, nerve damage, transient abdominal cramping, nausea, fever, vaginal discharge, and urinary tract infection. The incidence of these complications is low. There is a risk that the treatment may not be successful and you may require an alternative treatment. Although large areas of the fibroid might be treated, size reduction can be minimal in some women. Also, the treatment may be successful in reducing the symptoms due to the fibroids that are treated, but at a later time, more fibroids may grow and require treatment. This is true for all fibroid treatment alternatives, except hysterectomy.
