SightLine Health Announces Noninvasive Uterine Fibroid Treatment in Atlanta

Innovative MR-guided focused ultrasound procedure destroys fibroids but not uterus.

HOUSTON, July 26, 2007—SightLine Health announced today they will soon be providing Atlanta-area women a noninvasive, radiation-free alternative for treating uterine fibroids. Its midtown clinic is scheduled to open September 1, 2007, and will be the city’s only facility performing MR-guided focused ultrasound ablation (MRgFUS), a state-of-theart, nonsurgical treatment that uses ultrasound energy.

“The gynecologists, radiologists and support staff for our new Atlanta clinic have decades of experience in diagnostic technologies, ultrasound and women’s health,” said TJ Farnsworth, chairman and CEO of SightLine. “That experience means each of our patients will receive comfortable, efficient and professional care.”

SightLine, a health care services company that gives patients access to emerging technology, has established some of the nation’s first clinics providing MRgFUS. This procedure uses focused ultrasound waves to destroy abnormal tissues. MRgFUS has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a noninvasive, radiation-free treatment for uterine fibroids, the leading cause of the roughly 600,000 hysterectomies performed in the United States each year. Focused ultrasound technology currently is being studied for treating tumors and other illnesses as well.

Fibroids are abnormal growths within the muscles of the uterus. Although benign, fibroids often cause symptoms such as painful, heavy menstrual periods, constipation and lower back pain. They also can cause miscarriages or premature labor. Between 20 and 40 percent of women older than 35 have uterine fibroids, according to the FDA.

During an MRgFUS procedure, the patient is placed in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit on a table outfitted with an ultrasound machine. Using the MRI to visualize the fibroids, a physician focuses the ultrasound waves onto them. This heats and destroys the fibroid cells. The procedure involves very little discomfort, and the patient can maintain constant communication with the physician performing the procedure.

The outpatient procedure takes only a few hours, and patients may return to normal activities within a day or two. By contrast, some common treatments for uterine fibroids require hospital stays and long recoveries. And, because it does not involve surgery, MRgFUS does not pose risks associated with infection or blood loss.

“Our patients are women who studied their treatment options and felt most comfortable with MRgFUS,” Farnsworth said. “In their initial consultations, they expressed concerns about other methods and, after their procedures, they have told us how pleased they were with the comfort and ease of the process.”

SightLine’s Atlanta clinic will be located at 600 W. Peach Street, Suite 140. Women interested in learning more about uterine fibroids or scheduling appointments may call 1-888-4FIBROID.

About SightLine Health
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, one of the country’s leading medical communities, SightLine Health brings patients access to emerging technology. It is one of the few U.S. companies offering uterine fibroid treatment with ExAblate technology, the only FDA-approved MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) equipment. SightLine is affiliated with dedicated radiologists and gynecologists with decades of knowledge in women’s health and MRI technology—a combination not found in other MRgFUS
facilities. For more information on the procedure and on SightLine, visit www.sightlinehealth.com.

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