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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffFocused ultrasound surgery is a treatment option for uterine fibroids. The procedure is noninvasive and preserves your uterus. Focused ultrasound surgery — also called focused ultrasound ablation — is performed while you're inside a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner equipped with an ultrasound transducer for treatment.
During the procedure, MR images give your doctor the precise location of the uterine fibroids to be treated and the locations of vital structures, such as the bowel and bladder, to be avoided. Then the ultrasound transducer is used to send focused sound waves (sonications) into the fibroid to heat and destroy small areas of tissue. A pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is typically performed before treatment to determine whether you're a good candidate for focused ultrasound surgery.
- Hudson SBA, et al. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2008;51:159.
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- 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.
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- Rabinovici J, et al. Pregnancy outcome after magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) for conservative treatment of uterine fibroids. Fertility and Sterility. In press. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009.
