Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffFocused ultrasound surgery is performed to ease bothersome symptoms associated with uterine fibroids, including heavy bleeding and pelvic pain and pressure. The procedure provides a noninvasive alternative to surgical treatment of fibroids.
Although focused ultrasound surgery offers many advantages over other fibroid treatment options, it's not the best option for everyone. It may not be a good choice for you if your fibroids are located behind heat-sensitive organs, such as your bowel. This treatment isn't intended for women who desire a future pregnancy. Long-term effects on a woman's ability to become pregnant and carry a fetus to term have not been studied adequately yet; however, a number of women have had successful pregnancies after treatment.
- Hudson SB, et al. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2008;51:159.
- Haney AF. Leiomyomata. In: Gibb RS, et al. Danforth's Obstetrics and Gynecology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008:916.
- The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. Alternatives to hysterectomy in the management of leiomyomas. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2008;112:387.
- Hesley GK, et al. Noninvasive treatment of uterine fibroids: Early Mayo Clinic experience with magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2006;81:936.
- Stewart EA, et al. Sustained relief of leiomyoma symptoms by using focused ultrasound surgery. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2007;110:279.
- Stewart EA, et al. Clinical outcomes of focused ultrasound surgery for the treatment of uterine fibroids. Fertility and Sterility. 2006;85:22.
- Fennessy FM, et al. Uterine leiomyomas: MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound surgery - Results of different treatment protocols. Radiology. 2007;243:885.
- Funaki K, et al. Clinical outcomes of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery for uterine myomas: 24-month follow-up. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2009;34:584.
- Rabinovici J, et al. Pregnancy outcome after magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) for conservative treatment of uterine fibroids. Fertility and Sterility. 2010;1:199.

Find Mayo Clinic on