Ultrasound-guided high intensity focused ultrasound ablation for uterine fibroids: long-term outcomes and factors affecting local recurrence

Abstract

Objective

To assess the long-term outcomes and the factors affecting local recurrence of uterine fibroids after ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) ablation.

Materials and methods

629 patients with a solitary uterine fibroid smaller than 10 cm in diameter treated with USgHIFU at our institutes between January 2011 and December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were requested to take pre-HIFU and one day post-HIFU MRI. The patients were asked to return to the hospital every 3 months until January 2020, for imaging evaluation and to check on improvement in symptoms.

Results

Five hundred and thirty-six patients completed follow-up according to our protocol. The median follow-up time was 69 (interquartile range: 48 to 89) months. Among them, local recurrence was detected in 110 patients. 18 (16.4%) patients required additional treatment between 12 and 24 months after USgHIFU treatment, 59 (53.6%) patients required additional treatment 24 months after USgHIFU. Therefore, in total, 77 patients required additional treatment, of which 32 received USgHIFU and 45 underwent myomectomy. The median non-perfused volume (NPV) ratio in patients with recurrence was 73%, compared to 89% among patients without recurrence. Multivariate analysis showed that NPV ratio, maximum fibroid diameter and fibroid enhancement type were the independent factors affecting the recurrence of fibroids after USgHIFU treatment.

Conclusions

Achievement of NPV ratio higher than 70% has led to acceptable re-intervention rate during the follow-up period after USgHIFU. NPV ratio, maximum fibroid diameter, and fibroid enhancement type were the independent factors affecting the recurrence of fibroids after USgHIFU treatment.

Keywords:

• Uterine fibroids
• ultrasound guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU)
• long-term outcomes
• recurrence
• re-intervention

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to Wesley Zhang for helping us edit and revise this paper.

Disclosure statement

Zhibiao Wang and Lian Zhang are senior consultants to Chongqing Haifu. The other authors report no conflict of interest to declare. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.