Before the Procedure

During your initial evaluation, you see a team of specialists who will determine if MRgFUS is the right treatment for you. We also discuss other treatment options that may be available to you.

Once we have explained all the risks associated with the device and the procedure, you may be scheduled for treatment.

The day of treatment
Before your MRgFUS procedure, we:

1. Shave the skin over the target area.
2. Give you compression stockings to wear during the procedure.
3. Insert a tube (urinary catheter) to drain your bladder.
4. Insert a plastic tube into a vein through your arm (intravenous catheter). The catheter gives you fluids and medications to dull your pain and make you comfortable.

We then position you on the table so you are comfortable and supported. We will monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels throughout the procedure.

During the Procedure

We move you into the magnetic resonance (MR) device. We perform the MRgFUS procedure from a computer in the room adjoining the MR suite. Your doctor can see you through a window into the MR scanner room. Your doctor and a circulating nurse are close by to check on you and to give you medication.

We take a series of MR images to help plan the treatment. Your doctor marks the area to be treated. Then the MR device prepares the ultrasound beams to cover the targeted area.  Your doctor reviews the plan and optimizes it for your treatment.

To start, the MR device delivers very low-strength ultrasound pulses to ensure that the MR and the ultrasound probe (transducer) are aligned properly. After that, your doctor adjusts the strength of the ultrasound beams as the transducer moves over the area marked for treatment.

Once the treatment is finished, we give you a contrast agent through an intravenous catheter. We obtain a final series of MR pictures to see how well the targeted area was treated.

After the Procedure

You move to a recovery room for observation for 1-2 hours. Once your sedation has worn off, we remove all the monitoring equipment and catheters. Your doctor will come by to evaluate you and to explain the post-treatment care you may need. Your doctor will let you know when you can go home, which is almost always the same day, and when you will need to return for a follow-up visit.

When to call your doctor
If you experience severe pain that doesn’t go away with the medication your doctor has prescribed for you, or you have a fever of 101°F or higher within 48 hours of treatment, call your doctor. We will give you a follow-up phone call the next day and schedule you for a post-treatment follow-up visit.