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The process is being compared against other, traditional methods for fibroid removal and treatment.
“HIFU is completely non-invasive – no catheters,
like uterine artery emobolization, or surgery, like hysterectomy or myomectomy,” notes Chopra. “It also appears to have a shorter recovery period, with most patients returning to normal activity the same day or the
next, and there seems to be less post-treatment pain.
In principle, the ability to see the fibroid and the temperatures to which we are heating them should also
improve the accuracy of treatment. It could become
the standard of care for fibroids.”
Chopra and his colleagues at the Advanced Imaging Research Center have an intense focus on using
targeted heat therapies guided by MRI, and they are
not planning to stop with fibroids. They are also currently working on an MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound device to treat localized prostate cancer, possibly redefining how that type of cancer will be treated
in men in the future.
“The crucial aspect is to get sufficient heating uniformity of the target, which minimizes the damaging effects on the tumor,” said Dr. Ralph Mason, professor in
the department of radiology and director of the Cancer
Imaging Program at UT Southwestern. “MRI provides
the capability to make those measurements, and Dr.
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Noninvasive
Dr. Rajiv Chopra,
associate professor of
radiology at UT
Southwestern, is
studying the use of
targeted heat therapies
to burn fibroids.
Chopra is a pioneer in the development and application
of this technology in animal models and patients.”
Early Detection is Key
“It’s no cure for cancer.” We hear that a lot. But one
North Texas researcher is okay with that – because he
is working on a solution that may be one of the most
reliable and accessible tests for the development of
polyps that lead to colon cancer. A cure for cancer? No.
A ground-breaking screening method that could find
a deadly form of cancer even before a colonoscopy? It
most certainly looks like it.
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