Non-Invasive Ultrasound-Guided Ovarian Ablation: A Kinder Innovation for Treating PCOD

As a doctor, innovator, entrepreneur, and investor, I have always sought to push the boundaries of what is possible in medicine. Recently, Dr Anjali and I were awarded a patent, in partnership with IIT, for a non-invasive ultrasound-guided ovarian ablation device aimed at treating patients with Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD).

One of the standard treatments for PCOD in women with large ovaries and increased ovarian stroma has been laparoscopic ovarian cauterization. While this surgical approach can be effective, it is invasive, needs hospital admission, and is expensive.

Recognizing the limitations of the current treatment options, we developed a non-invasive ultrasound-guided ovarian ablation device. This device utilizes electric cauterisation under ultrasound guidance to target and ablate abnormal ovarian tissue in women with PCOD in a controlled manner, without the need for surgical intervention.

In the past, IVF doctors used laparoscopy to retrieve eggs. Today, the gold standard is doing a vaginal ultrasound guided egg collection. We are using exactly the same principle for simplifying the treatment of PCOD!

The electric energy is precisely guided to the target areas of the ovary under ultrasound guidance, ensuring effective ablation of the abnormal tissue, while preserving healthy ovarian tissue. We achieve the same goal as laparoscopic ovarian cauterisation does, without the surgery! In fact, we expect our therapeutic results to be better, because during laparoscopy, the doctor can only see the surface of the ovary, while we allow the doctor to target the abnormal stroma as well. More importantly, since we are treating the underlying lesion, the quality of life for patients with PCO will improve dramatically, and many won’t need to take medications anymore. We call this “ovarian normalisation.”

This technology can be deployed in outpatient settings such as Day Care Surgery clinics. It utilises standard equipment readily available in all IVF clinics, such as an electrosurgical generator, an ultrasound machine, a vaginal probe and a biopsy guide. This means that gynecologists will be able to offer this treatment to their PCO patients without having to buy additional expensive equipment. The learning curve will be much less, because it is very similar to doing an egg collection! The device will be affordable, sterile and disposable.

As an entrepreneur and investor, I understand the challenges of translating medical innovations from concept to reality. This is why I have committed resources to ensure the development of this device. Medical devices need to be reliable, affordable, adaptable, available, and accessible. This device is an example of frugal innovation, and we hope this will inspire other doctors as well. This is why I fund www.micelabs.in,in partnership with J J Hospital.

Our next milestone is obtaining CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organization) approval. This is an essential regulatory step that will allow us to conduct clinical studies to document the safety and efficacy of this device. Once we complete successful clinical studies, the goal is to introduce this device into hospitals and clinics across India, and eventually, to global markets.

It’s interesting to compare our approach to that of https://mayhealth.com/ which has raised over US $ 25 million dollars to achieve a similar therapeutic goal!

By combining non-invasive technology, affordable healthcare, and entrepreneurial vision, we can now offer PCOD patients a treatment that is not only more effective but also accessible to women from all walks of life.