About the Acessa® procedure

The Acessa procedure is recommended for pre-menopausal women (typically younger than 55 years old)1 who are tired of living with the ongoing pain and discomfort of fibroids and are looking for a minimally invasive option that allows them to keep their uterus and return to daily life quickly after the procedure.

The Acessa® procedure is also known as Laparoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation (LAP-RFA) and essentially delivers heat directly into a fibroid in order to destroy its tissue and in turn relieve your symptoms.

FAQ:

Who is this procedure for?

The Acessa procedure is recommended for pre-menopausal women (typically younger than 55 years old)1 who are tired of living with the ongoing pain and discomfort of fibroids and are looking for a minimally invasive option that allows them to keep their uterus and return to daily life quickly after the procedure.

What size, location, and types of fibroids can Acessa treat?

Size and location of fibroids are important factors in what procedure is right for you. That’s why physicians do an MRI or ultrasound prior to determining if you are a candidate for the procedure.

The Acessa procedure has been studied on fibroids up to 7CM,.2 The procedure can be used to treat most types of symptomatic fibroids, including subserosal, intramural, transmural, and certain submucosal.

How does Acessa compare to other common fibroid treatment options?

Vs. Hysterectomy

-The Acessa procedure allows you to keep your uterus and has a quicker recovery time than a hysterectomy. However, hysterectomy is a definitive treatment, so after recovery, there is no chance fibroid symptoms will return.

Vs. Myomectomy

– Myomectomy cuts fibroids and surgically removes fibroid tissues from the uterus. The Acessa procedure, by comparison, does not require cutting or suturing within the uterus.2 Myomectomy may be considered a minimally invasive surgery because incisions into the abdomen can be small. The Acessa procedure may be a less invasive option because there are zero incisions on the uterine surface (serosa) that require suturing, and only 3 small incisions on the skin (myomectomy typically requires 4 to 6 incisions in the skin).

Vs. UAE

- UAE involves ischemic necrosis which consists of the tissue slowly dying due to lack of blood supply and typically involves an overnight stay for pain management.3 The Acessa procedure uses coagulative necrosis which destroys the fibroid cells and nerve endings with heat and results in the reduction of the fibroid volume over time.1,4 After the Acessa procedure, patients typically return home the same day. UAE is performed by interventional radiologists. The Acessa procedure is performed by minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons.