Can uterine fibroids be removed
without surgery?
A total of 100 women with uterine
fibroid and adenomyosis – two common gynecological disorders among Nigerian
women – have been able to get complete relief from their symptoms without
having to endure invasive surgery.
At the Nordica Fibroid Care Centre
in Lagos, the groundbreaking state-of-the-art method is known as High-Intensity
Focused Ultrasound, or HIFU, was used to achieve the milestone.
On the 9th of July 2021, the first
procedure was performed at the Centre, which is the only one of its kind in
West Africa and the third in Africa after Egypt and South Africa.
Dr Abayomi Ajayi, the Medical
Director/CEO of the Centre, said the centre formally opened its doors to
deliver the first in class, non-invasive therapy in the management of uterine
fibroids – HIFU – at a press conference to commemorate the milestone.
"We've done 100 successful
treatments since we opened our doors in July of last year, and we're still
counting." One hundred women have had the chance to have fibroids and
adenomyosis removed, which may have characterized their lives before the
treatment."
From the clinic in Lekki, Ajayi
stated that they had treated ladies from various walks of life from all over
Nigeria. What happens if large fibroids are not removed?
"Every time a woman comes
into our facility with fibroids or adenomyosis and departs a few hours later
free of the pain of her condition, we are overjoyed."
"The relief we see on their
faces gives us joy that the investment we've made in this area of uterine
fibroid management is bringing relief to our women folk who would otherwise be
afraid of open surgery and may have decided to live their lives with the pain,
discomfort, and blood loss, and we've saved many women from the risk of blood
transfusion, anesthesia, and lost man-hours at work."
"The HIFU treatment is
performed using a specialized Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, a machine that
generates sound waves focused on a specific part of the fibroid. It's similar
to focusing the sun's rays on a sheet of paper to start a fire with a
magnifying glass. The beams are targeted on a specific tiny portion of the
fibroid in HIFU, with no effect on neighboring tissues."
The 100th treatment, according to
Ajayi, was a call to action. "It means we're dedicated to working
relentlessly to ensure that more women have access to HIFU technology for
fibroids treatment."
"It's a call to action for us
to reach out to more women in Nigeria and the West African sub-region to
encourage them to use HIFU to improve their lives."
As part of Nordica's commitment to
continual professional development, he said plans are in the works to broaden
access for medical physicians to be trained in the use of HIFU technology.
We've invited interested doctors to apply for this specialized training so that
they can join a worldwide workforce of highly skilled professionals. The better
for patients and our healthcare system, the more doctors who are trained.
"By the time we celebrate our
200th treatment, we feel Nigeria will have made a substantial contribution to
the global effort to manage fibroid care through non-invasive approaches."
Going down memory lane, Ajayi
stated that the road to the Centre's opening was not simple. "COVID-19 had
caused a backlog of logistical and shipping issues all over the world, so we
had to wait a long time for the equipment to arrive, and we had a serious
backlog of products to clear at the Nigerian ports, which was still another
obstacle to overcome."
"Covid had given a serious
blow to our foreign currency rate regime by the time we were preparing to start
operations." The long ascent had begun.
"In effect, most everything
might have conspired to keep this dream from becoming a reality, but I feel
that our perseverance and God's grace made it possible despite all
obstacles."
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