Guest guest Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Carla, I do SO wish that an investigative journalist would get on to these guys. Where are they all? It seems to me from reading this and from knowing what I have heard from women who have tried to get on the German arm of the study, that the whole thing is corrupt from beginning to end. In an article in a German gyn publication the doctors involved report on the first results from Israel. Apparently only 16 of 25 women reported improvement. The article goes on to report that only a few hundred women have been treated worldwide, but the Germans are already doing a study to find out the effect on fertility, i.e. on women desiring to conceive. Do these women know that only a few hundred procedures have been done? They are also doing a study on women who have been given lupron first to shrink the fibroids. Why are they doing that? In this German article, (Der Frauenarzt, 44. Jahrgang, November 2003) they talk about excluding a whole load of women, for the following reasons: - No women with bits of bowel between abdomen wall and uterus (surely there is always bowel between abdomen wall and uterus) if any bowel " gets in the way " there could be thermal damage - no fibroids in the back wall, because they are too near the Os sacrum (the bone, I can't remember the English name without looking it up) and this could suffer thermal damage - fibroids with too much " moisture " , because it doesn't work too well for these either -no women with more that 3-4 fibroids - No women with fibroids too far away because the beam might not reach that far and won't be hot enough to destroy the fibroids. My question here is, what does the beam destroy then, if it doesn't go far enough to reach the fibroids... I know we have to be open to new methods otherwise we'll end up like HERS. I know that focussed ultrasound does have a lot of potential. But I can't put aside the feeling that women are being lured into these studies without really knowing what they are getting into. What is this about? Is it about the women? Or is it about the doctors who want to publish a study that will get them invited to the next conference. Quite apart from the " financial " issues that could be going on here. It is so easy to believe that doctors have only our interests at heart. And some of them are excellent actors, they make us believe it. Sometimes these doctors manage to perfom acts of mental acrobatics that defy our imaginations, they believe it themselves. Look at the Spanish radiologist Isabel Pinto who did the randomised study hysterectomy/embolisation without informing the women they were involved in the study. She thinks of herself as a great champion of women's health. She writes in her study that two of the hysterectomised women were very unhappy with the outcomes of their procedures. But don't think she loses sleep over it. No - she was the first to get a randomised study published, and that was all that interested her. Sorry for this rant everyone. But I am very, very frustrated about focussed ultrasound. Especially when we don't even have UFE established as a choice for women in Germany, but more people know about focussed ultrasound than UFE even though one hospital is offering it to a select few women with the " right " configuration of fibroids. These two procedures are indeed both new. But FUS is a lot, lot newer. We don't know everything about UFE but we know a hell of a lot more than we do about FUS. So journalists, where the hell are you? Please, please get on to these people. After reading what I have read about FUS and At 03:08 06.02.04 +0000, you wrote: >Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 02:44:46 -0000 > >Subject: The ethical issue > >It's a long story...but have patience...there are statistics that >those of you who have been thinking about this treatment option may >want to read....including the information concerning a 20% failure >rate...and that's well beyond the ethical issues raised here... > >********************* >Reaking the ultrasound barrier > >Haaretz.com - Israel News >February 4, 2004 > > The HIFUS procedure at Sheba Medical Center also raises ethical >questions. This is a case in which a government hospital has gone into >commercial partnership with a private company, InSightec. Dr. Ze'ev >Rothstein, director of Sheba, describes a joint project from which the >profits will be divided " 50-50 " between the company and the hospital. >This is a new type of venture and, from Sheba's point of view, >unprecedented in its character and scale. InSightec has invested about >$10 million in the establishment of the new center at Sheba, in the >form of instrumentation and research. The hospital provides >physicians, radiologists, technicians, nurses and other staff. > >read the rest here: >http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/390813.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Carla, I have had a hard week. Of course these guys ARE investigative journalists. What I mean is, what about their buddies in other countries. I tried to find a contact address so I could write and thank these people but I just couldn't find one. If any one else has more success, pls tell me how to get in touch with the editors of this Israeli newspaper so I can thank them. Sorry for going over my one-email-a-day. >Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 17:35:22 +0100 >To: uterinefibroids > >Subject: Insightec > >Carla, > >I do SO wish that an investigative journalist would get on to these guys. >Where are they all? It seems to me from reading this and from knowing what >I have heard from women who have tried to get on the German arm of the >study, that the whole thing is corrupt from beginning to end. > > > > >After reading what I have read about FUS and >At 03:08 06.02.04 +0000, you wrote: >>Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 02:44:46 -0000 >> >>Subject: The ethical issue >> >>It's a long story...but have patience...there are statistics that >>those of you who have been thinking about this treatment option may >>want to read....including the information concerning a 20% failure >>rate...and that's well beyond the ethical issues raised here... >> >>********************* >>Reaking the ultrasound barrier >> >>Haaretz.com - Israel News >>February 4, 2004 >> >> The HIFUS procedure at Sheba Medical Center also raises ethical >>questions. This is a case in which a government hospital has gone into >>commercial partnership with a private company, InSightec. Dr. Ze'ev >>Rothstein, director of Sheba, describes a joint project from which the >>profits will be divided " 50-50 " between the company and the hospital. >>This is a new type of venture and, from Sheba's point of view, >>unprecedented in its character and scale. InSightec has invested about >>$10 million in the establishment of the new center at Sheba, in the >>form of instrumentation and research. The hospital provides >>physicians, radiologists, technicians, nurses and other staff. >> >>read the rest here: >>http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/390813.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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