VOORHEES, N.J., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtua Health, a multi-hospital health system with headquarters in Marlton, NJ, announced today that it has installed InSightec Ltd's ExAblate (R) 2000 system, a magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound system, approved today by the FDA for the non-invasive treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids. Virtua Health is the first healthcare institution in the tri-state area and one of the first in the nation with the technology.
Current treatments for uterine fibroids include drug therapy and invasive options such as hysterectomy and myomectomy surgeries, and uterine artery embolization. Uterine fibroids are the most common reason for surgery among women of reproductive age, after caesarean section. Approximately 200,000 women in the United States currently undergo a hysterectomy each year for the treatment of uterine fibroids.
Some of the most common symptoms of uterine fibroids include heavy bleeding, chronic lower back pain and pelvic discomfort. Uterine fibroids can also cause pressure on adjacent structures (e.g. bowels) and can in certain cases affect sexual activity. In the most serious cases, heavy menstrual bleeding can cause acute anemia, sometimes requiring a blood transfusions.
Women will often put up with the symptoms of uterine fibroids to avoid surgery that can, in extreme cases, result in lengthy recovery periods of up to six weeks. ExAblate technology offers a non-surgical alternative that could potentially get patients back to normal in one to two days. During this outpatient procedure, the patient lies on her stomach in the MRI scanner while highly focused ultrasound waves are aimed at the fibroid(s). The patient is awake with mild sedation for the duration of the process, as opposed to the complete sedation necessitated by surgery.
The installation of this technology is a direct result of Virtua Health's Enterprise Partnership with General Electric (GE) Healthcare. GE is part owner of InSightec, the manufacturer of the ExAblate technology.
"The enterprise partnership between Virtua Health and GE, announced in early 2004, included leveraging the resources and strength of GE in order to achieve our vision for patient-focused healthcare delivery," said Richard P. Miller, president and CEO of Virtua Health. "Connecting us with this breakthrough technology and being the first in the region and among the first in the nation to offer it, help us bring this vision to life and enable us to deliver a world-class patient experience which resides at the core of our mission. Through partnerships with world class organizations like GE, we intend to raise regional healthcare to a world-class level."
For more information on the ExAblate technology call 1-888-VIRTUA-3 (1- 888-847-8823) or visit http://www.virtua.org/.
About Virtua Health
Virtua Health, the largest healthcare provider in South Jersey, is a non- profit organization dedicated to providing the highest quality health care to the communities it serves. With more than 7,400 employees and 1,800 physicians, Virtua Health is comprised of four hospitals including Virtua Memorial Hospital Burlington County, Mt. Holly, and Virtua West Jersey Hospitals in Berlin, Marlton and Voorhees. More than 7,400 babies are born annually at Virtua's hospitals in Mt. Holly and Voorhees where maternal fetal medicine and comprehensive neonatal intensive care for premature newborns is provided. A wide range of world-class pediatric specialty care is offered through the Virtua/duPont Children's Health Program, an affiliation with the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children. The Fox Chase Virtua Health Cancer Program provides comprehensive cancer treatment, the latest technology, and access to national and regional cancer treatment and prevention studies. Additional programs of excellence also include orthopedics, neurosurgery and cardiology services. With five strategically located emergency centers, Virtua handles more emergencies -- and more pediatric emergencies -- than any other health system in South Jersey. Virtua also serves the community with comprehensive primary care and emergency services at its outpatient center in Camden; two long-term comprehensive care centers in Berlin and Mt. Holly; two outpatient surgery centers in Mt. Holly and Voorhees; a home-health care agency and the William G. Rohrer Center for HealthFitness in Voorhees. Information about Virtua Health is available at 1-888-VIRTUA-3 (1-888-847-8823) and on the Internet at http://www.virtua.org/.
About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that will shape a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare's expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceuticals is dedicated to detecting disease earlier and tailoring treatment for individual patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of services to improve productivity in healthcare and enable healthcare providers to better diagnose, treat and manage patients with conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases.
GE Healthcare is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company that is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 42,500 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at http://www.gehealthcare.com/.
About InSightec
InSightec Image Guided Treatment Ltd. is a privately held company owned by Elbit Medical Imaging (EMI), General Electric, private investors, and employees. It was founded in 1999 to develop the breakthrough MR guided Focused Ultrasound technology and transform it into the next generation operating room. Headquartered near Haifa, Israel, the company has over 80 employees and has invested more than $60 million in research, development, and clinical investigations. Its US headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas. ExAblate was awarded the 2004 grand prize of the IST (Information Society Technology) of the European Union for innovation and potential to serve mankind. For more information, please go to: http://www.insightec.com/.
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Virtua HealthCONTACT: Lisa Packer, +1-610-688-3164, or cell, +1-215-460-8333,lisa@robinsonpacker.com