Originally published December 13 2005
New imaging tool offers hope to women suffering from fibroids
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Hospitals across the U.S. are conducting trials with a new tool called ExAblate, which could provide an alternative treatment for fibroids, benign tumors that grown in the uterus and are commonly treated with a hysterectomy.
Faced with unpredictable menstrual cycles and severe pains, DeMerchant never knew when she would have to run to the bathroom.
She was experiencing growing pelvic pressure and couldn't empty her bladder because uterine fibroids were pressing on her organs.
DeMerchant is one of 120 African-American women in national clinical trials to see how a new imaging tool called ExAblate can work.
Plano's North Texas Uterine Fibroid Institute (6300 W. Parker Road) is one of 12 practices nationwide using ExAblate, a non-surgical approach to treat fibroids.
Using Allen's Envision Imaging center, the Plano gynecologists are deploying ExAblate to avoid surgery that's typically required for treating fibroids.
Instead of six weeks to recover from a hysterectomy, ExAblate requires several hours of treatment and two to three days to recover.
Fibroids, which are benign tumors growing in the uterus' muscle, affect 25 percent (13 million) women ages 25 to 50, the U.S. National Institutes of Health estimates.
The MRI provides three-dimensional images of the fibroid and surrounding tissue, enabling precise guidance of the ultrasound waves to the target tissue.
Plano's North Texas Uterine Fibroid Institute is one of five sites in the U.S. enrolling African-American women in the research study evaluating that ExAblate works for that demographic segment.
Gee currently serves as a principal investigator for clinical trails because African-American women are three to five times more likely to develop the tumors than Anglos.
ExAblate is not a panacea, but it is a solution for women who are past childbearing years and suffer symptoms, she said.
Symptoms of uterine fibroids include heavy bleeding or painful periods, bleeding between periods, pressure on the lower abdomen, frequent urination, pain during sex and lower back pain.
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