ABSTRACT

There is little that evokes visions of futuristic medicine more than image-guided surgery. While we have not yet reached the level of Star Trek medicine, where one merely walks into a room and gets scanned and treated with a handheld device, we have made enormous strides in that direction. The image-guided techniques described in this chapter involve minimally invasive approaches, which allow for quick recovery and retention of the uterus. In the case of magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound (MRg-FUS) ablation of leiomyomas, the skin barrier isn’t broken and the patient can get off the table and, in most cases, continue with her daily activities as if nothing happened. While each of these techniques has limitations and limited long-term follow-up data when compared to more traditional procedures, they all represent the trend toward less invasive, uterine-sparing technologies.