Your Interventional Radiologist and You Series: Women's Health in the New Age

The College of Radiologists, Singapore, together with the Academy of Medicine, Singapore will be jointly organizing a public forum “Your Interventional Radiologist and You: Women’s health in the new age” on 25 August 2019 to be held at Lifelong Learning Institute, Singapore.

This will be the second public forum organized with focus on women’s health. Last year’s forum discussed the management options for uterine fibroids. The forum was very well attended and received rave reviews by the attendees.

As we enter the new age of medicine, there is an increasing number of minimally invasive treatment options for common, yet lifestyle limiting, medical conditions.  Common conditions, such as uterine fibroids and thyroid nodules, while largely benign, can cause distressing symptoms.  While these conditions have traditionally been managed surgically, growing evidence support non-surgical alternatives that interventional radiologists offer, associated with lesser morbidity and reduced “downtime” compared to traditional surgery.

Uterine fibroids are benign growths in the uterus that occur in up to 50% of women. Over the past 20 years, new treatments have become established including medical /hormonal and catheter-based treatment that have years of research and scientific data supporting their use as alternatives to surgical management (including myomectomy and hysterectomy). In the western world, celebrities and prominent individuals including former US secretary of State Ms. Condalezza Rice, have undergone uterine artery embolization. Unfortunately for our local population, patients are seldom offered these alternatives at all, instead often only sent straight for surgical management.

Thyroid nodules are very common, though majority are small, benign and asymptomatic. Larger thyroid nodules may present with pressure symptoms or swelling in the neck. Aside from surgical resection and removal of the thyroid gland, there is now the option of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for symptomatic benign thyroid nodules. It confers the advantages of requiring only a tiny skin incision, can be performed under local anaesthesia and on an outpatient basis. RFA allows patients to preserve their thyroid gland, while improving symptoms from benign nodules at the same time. 

The program will comprise of didactic introduction of current uterine fibroid and thyroid nodule management and sharing of real-life experience by patients who have undergone these state-of-the-art non-surgical alternatives. Around three hundred participants are expected to attend the event.

Come join us at the forum and we look forward to seeing you there! 

Lifelong Learning Institute

Lecture Theatre

11 Eunos Road 8, Level 2

Singapore 408601