Safety and treatment volumes achieved following new developments of the magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound system in the treatment of uterine fibroids: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: This research investigates whether modifications to the magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound ablation of uterine fibroid (MRgFUS) system used resulted in improved treatment volumes of uterine fibroids, while maintaining safety. METHODS: This study is a prospective cohort analysis of 34 women undergoing the ExAblate 2100 MRgFUS treatment for their uterine fibroids. RESULTS: The percentage of non-perfused volume (NPV) achieved with the ExAblate 2100 system was 54.92% compared with 50.49 % with the ExAblate 2000 system over the preceding year (p = 0.543). The ExAblate 2100 system resulted in a greater NPV in hyper-intense fibroids compared with the ExAblate 200 system (43.20% versus 36.33%, p = 0.005). There have been no recorded hospital admissions, no skins burns, and no reported major adverse events since the introduction of this new system. CONCLUSION: Overall, the new system has thus far shown an encouraging safety record and an improvement in non-perfused volumes achieved, especially in hyper-intense fibroids.