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By Mayo Clinic staffDuring your treatment, MRI allows doctors to evaluate the effects and define areas that need additional treatment.
During the procedure
Treatment time varies, depending on the size and number of fibroids you have. Here's the procedure.
- You lie on your stomach on a movable table that slides into the opening of the MRI scanner. A doctor monitors you from an adjoining room and can talk to you and hear you by microphone.
- Using focused ultrasound waves (sonications), each portion of the fibroid is heated. MRI is used to monitor tissue temperature and determine if the fibroid has been heated enough to achieve the desired results. The process is repeated until most of the fibroid has reached a temperature that should destroy the tissue.
- Each sonication lasts approximately 20 to 25 seconds. Typically it takes about 80 sonications during a treatment session to destroy a fibroid. However, depending on the size and number of fibroids you have, more sonications or a second treatment may be necessary.
- Throughout the treatment, you'll be asked about your level of discomfort so that your medication can be adjusted or other necessary changes can be made.
After the procedure
You'll need a friend or family member to be with you and drive you to and from your treatment due to the medications you receive during treatment.
When you get home, you can resume your normal daily activities. Usually you'll need only over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), for discomfort.
- Napoli A, et al. MR-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound: Current status of an emerging technology. CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology. In press. Accessed April 30, 2013.
- Hesley GK, et al. MR-guided focused ultrasound for the treatment of uterine fibroids. CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology. 2013;36:5.
- Trumm CG, et al. Magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids. Investigative Radiology. 2013;48:1.
- Coakley FV, et al. Pelvic applications of MR-guided high intensity focused ultrasound. Abdominal Imaging. In press. http://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00261-013-9999-2. Accessed April 30, 2013.
- Van der Kooij SM, et al. Review of nonsurgical/minimally invasive treatments for uterine fibroids. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2012;24:1.
- MRI of the body (chest, abdomen, pelvis). RadiologyInfo.org. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodymr. Accessed April 30, 2013.
- Gallenberg MM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 17, 2013.
- Stewart EA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 8, 2013.
- Hesley GK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 20, 2013.
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