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By Mayo Clinic staffA doctor performs focused ultrasound surgery in an MR scanning room. It's an outpatient procedure. You'll be asked to fast the day of the treatment. You'll also need to shave your lower abdomen between your pubic bone and bellybutton just before the treatment.
At the hospital, you're given a gown and robe to wear. Before entering the MR scanning room, remove all accessories — watch, jewelry, hairpins, wigs, dentures and hearing aids — that may contain metal or electronics. Metal objects may interfere with the magnetic field used during the exam, affecting the quality of the MR images. The magnetic field may also damage electronic items. Be sure to tell the technologist if you have any metal or electronic devices inside your body as well — metallic joint prostheses, artificial heart valves, implanted electronic devices, cochlear implants, body piercings or magnets in your dentures (most dental fillings don't cause a problem). The presence of metal inside your body may be a safety hazard or affect a portion of the MR image.
Shortly before the procedure begins, an intravenous line will be placed in one of your veins, usually on the back of your hand. The doctor or nurse will use this line to give you medication and to inject contrast material for MR images taken right after the treatment. The medication helps you relax, but you'll be awake during the procedure (conscious sedation).
You'll also have a urinary catheter inserted into your bladder. This is done to keep the bladder stable during your treatment.
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