Expert Faults Treatment Of Fibroid In Nigeria

An obstetrician/gynaecologist and managing director, Nordica Fertility Centre, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, has said the non-cancerous growths that develop in or on a woman’s uterus (fibroid) do not necessarily require a surgery as there are many options now available for women to choose from, including High Intensity Focus Ultrasound (HIFU).

Abayomi, who spoke virtually during the 10 years anniversary of the Abuja Nordica Fertility Centre, said “It’s not every fibroid that needs to be treated to start with, it’s not every fibroid that you want to treat that you need to operate on. So, there are many options now available for women to choose from. If I were a woman and I have fibroid, I will do HIFU or something noninvasive. I would probably prefer it than going under the knife.”

He said HIFU is a non-invasive technology in that it converts ultrasound into heat energy, saying “It’s like killing the fibroid without really touching it. We heat the cells to a particular temperature and it denatures. Thereby killing the fibroid.”

The fertility expert, however, said that the HIFU machine is very expensive and that the centre has just one in Lagos, being the only HIFU machine in the entire West Africa.

“The machine is very expensive. We are hoping we are able to do something in Abuja, especially in the direction of HIFU because fibroid is everywhere.

“We have done over 200 cases in Lagos within the space of not up to 18 months. There is no way you will be doing surgery and you will be able to do up to that, that is another thing, the ease and the convenience for both the doctor and the patient. I think it is also a welcome development,” he explained.