United States: According to a recent report, the treatment destroys adrenal nodules through precise heat therapy during a 20-minute intervention, thus giving millions worldwide the chance to stop using blood pressure medications.
More about the news
British researchers have developed an innovative minimal procedure that offers people with neglected hormonal problems better alternatives to traditional major surgical procedures.
Three major UK hospitals have applied this new technique, which utilizes an ultrasound-steered tiny needle to purposefully destroy hormone-producing nodules responsible for extremely high blood pressure.
The newly developed procedure enables patients to leave the hospital on the same day without needing any surgical cuts, while currently, patients must undergo total adrenal gland removal.
Relevant research published in The Lancet proved that the procedure worked safely with 28 participant cases.
The participants demonstrated normal hormone functioning during the six-month follow-up period, while some individuals completely eliminated their blood pressure drugs.
What more are the experts stating?
According to Professor Morris Brown, co-senior author and Professor of Endocrine Hypertension at Queen Mary University of London, “It is 70 years since the discovery in London of the hormone aldosterone,” scienceblog.com reported.
He also took note that this particular advancement has finally given shape to a long-held prediction about treating this form of high blood pressure, adding that they are now “offering 21st-century breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment.”
Reduced blood pressure cases from primary aldosteronism exist in one out of every twenty patients.
Xenohormonal hypertension happens because benign nodules in the adrenal glands produce too much aldosterone, thus elevating blood pressure through increased salt concentration in the body.
The medical community detects only less than one percent of those who should be diagnosed with this widespread condition.
The treatment provided Michelina Alfieri with instantaneous symptom relief from symptoms she had endured for a long period.
“Before the study, I suffered from debilitating headaches for years despite multiple GP visits. As a full-time worker and single parent, my daily life was severely affected,” she stated.
“This non-invasive treatment provided an immediate recovery—I was back to my normal routine straight away,” she continued, scienceblog.com reported.
The medical procedure of endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation uses a small camera to pass through the mouth to the stomach for its operation.
With the aid of an ultrasound image, medical professionals navigate needles to specific nodules to apply quick heat pulses, which eliminate the lesion without damaging other healthy tissue.