SRL Diagnostics Private Ltd, formerly known as Piramal Diagnostics Private Ltd, recently launched a breakthrough MRI-guided high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) solution from Philips at its Jankharia Imaging facility at Lower Parel. The Philips MRI guided HIFU system has been clinically approved for the treatment of non-cancerous tumours like uterine fibroids and malignancies like bone metastases.

The announcement was made by Dr Bhavin Jankharia, president - radiology, SRL Diagnostics and consultant radiologist, SRL Diagnostics –Jankharia Imaging, along with Krishna Kumar, president, Philips Healthcare, India.

MRI guided HIFU offers a non-invasive alternative to traditional treatments for uterine fibroids in women. It combines the precision of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to map the fibroids and monitor the treatment with safe ultrasound energy (HIFU) to coagulate and de-naturise the proteins in benign fibroid tissue or cancerous tumour tissue without damaging intervening tissue. In contrast to the existing treatment options of surgery to remove fibroids, MRI-Guided HIFU from Philips offers women a quicker, non-invasive and precise treatment option. The entire procedure is performed in just a few hours without any hospital admission.

The patient can return home from the clinic or hospital the same day and return to a normal life within a couple of days. The benefits for women include – no surgery, no scars, no anaesthesia, no radiation, more precise image guided treatment, no hospital admission, preservation of the uterus, quicker recovery, and lesser stress.

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths of the uterus that often appear during childbearing years. Also called myomas, uterine fibroids are not associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer. As many as one out of four women have uterine fibroids sometime during their lives, but many are unaware of them because they often cause no symptoms. A doctor may discover them incidentally during a pelvic exam or prenatal ultrasound.

In women who have symptoms, the most common symptoms of uterine fibroids include heavy menstrual bleeding, prolonged menstrual periods (seven days or more of menstrual bleeding), pelvic pressure or pain, frequent urination, difficulty emptying your bladder, constipation, backache or leg pains.

Previous treatment options for women with uterine fibroids included mainly surgery either for removal of the fibroid or the uterus as a whole.