Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai has inaugurated a new facility that offers new technology called GE Magnetic Resonance - guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (MrgFUS). It is used to treat uterine fibroids in women by using high intensity ultrasound waves to non-invasively destroy benign tumours of the uterus.

This technology offers a major breakthrough treatment for uterine fibroids, a common gynaecological condition. Uterine fibroids affect large numbers of women, causing a variety of symptoms such as pelvic pain, incontinence and swelling of the abdomen. The most common treatment for fibroids is hysterectomy, a surgical procedure that involves a stay in hospital and up to six weeks of recovery time.

The MRgFUS technology - the ExAblate 2000, developed by Insightec is the only the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved system for treatment of uterine fibroids and works exclusively with GE 1.5T and 3.0T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems. The technology is also CE approved for pain palliation treatment for bone metastases, and clinical trials are under way to determine if the technology could be an alternative treatment for a number of cancers including breast, brain, liver cancer, and prostate.

MRgFUS, destroys fibroids without causing damage to surrounding tissues and could be used as a common alternative to removal of a uterus or hysterectomy. The treatment, which is carried out as an outpatient procedure, has a shorter recovery time than hysterectomy and can help women to return much more quickly to normal daily activities.

The ExAblate 2000 system uses the breakthrough MRgFUS technology that combines MRI to visualize tissues in the body, plan the treatment and monitor, in real time, treatment outcome and high intensity focused ultrasound to heat or thermally ablates diseased tissue. MR thermal feedback, provided uniquely by the system, allows the physician to control and adjust the treatment in real time to ensure that the targeted tumour is fully treated without damaging the surrounding tissue.

The treatment is associated with minimal risks and complications, requires no overnight hospital stay and allows most patients to return to work and their normal activities in one to two days. A treatment session lasts up to three hours. The cost of treatment can range from Rs 60,000 to Rs 1,00,000.