Bruce Lee, MD

Good afternoon. My name is Bruce Lee. I am a gynecologist from  Monterey, California, and I am Director of Gynecologic Surgery at the Monterey  Peninsula Surgery Center. Here at the AAGL meeting, I have presented data  regarding the Halt Procedure, which stands for Hysterectomy ALTernative. The  procedure involves radiofrequency ablation of uterine fibroids. The procedure is  done as an outpatient and it is highly effective in causing resolution of the  symptoms of fibroids, allowing patients to return to all normal activities and  it shrinks uterine fibroids dramatically. The procedure has been done for over  five years now and the data is quite compelling regarding the effectiveness.  Radiofrequency has been in medicine for quite a long time, but never  administered in gynecology. However, that has now changed.
 
 Uterine fibroids are extremely common: they cause heavy bleeding, heavy  menstrual cramping, pain with intercourse, urinary frequency and abdominal and  pelvic pain and distension. With the aid of this procedure, I am able to cause  resolution of those symptoms in a fairly short amount of time. Not only that,  but the procedure in our area is one-third the cost of a hysterectomy and does  not carry the complications one sees after uterine artery embolization. So the  procedure is highly effective, very cosmetic, outpatient and affordable. Not  only that, but it can be done at the community level in ambulatory surgery  centers. It does not require a major university, it does not require expensive  equipment like an MRI machine and, in my opinion, the majority of gynecologists  can learn this procedure and treat uterine fibroids and allow patients to keep  their uterus if that is their desire. I hope that other gynecologists will start  doing this procedure for their patients because I believe there is a need. That  is how I began doing this procedure five years ago: my patients said, Dr Lee,  find us another way other than hysterectomy. Fortunately, we have another way  now and that is the Halt Procedure, radiofrequency ablation of uterine myomata.

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OBGYN.net Conference Coverage - AAGL 2004

The Halt Procedure - Radio Frequency Ablation of Uterine Fibroids

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The Halt Procedure - Radio Frequency Ablation of Uterine Fibroids Video

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