Feasibility, Safety, and Efficacy of Accurate Uterine Fibroid Ablation Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Guided High‐Intensity Focused Ultrasound With Shot Sonication

摘要

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of uterine fibroid treatment using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐guided high‐intensity focused ultrasound (US) with shot sonication for accurate ablation. Forty‐three patients with 51 symptomatic uterine fibroids were treated with MRI‐guided high‐intensity focused US with shot sonication, which was a small acoustic focus of higher intensity with a shorter time (2 seconds) of US exposure and a shorter cooling time (2–3 seconds). The treatment efficacy and adverse events were analyzed, and the changes in the severity of symptoms and the reduction in fibroid volume were assessed 3 and 6 months after the procedure. All patients were successfully treated in a single session, without major complications, and the mean nonperfused volume ratio ± SD was 84.3% ± 15.7% (range, 33.8%–100%).Complete ablation was achieved in 13 T2‐hypointense fibroids from 10 patients, and partial ablation was achieved in 38 fibroids from 33 patients. The overall mean treatment time was 135.0 ± 50.9 minutes (2.2 ± 0.8 hours). The transformed symptom severity scores and mean fibroid volumes decreased significantly after treatment (P & .05). In conclusion, MRI‐guided high‐intensity focused US with shot sonication is a feasible, safe, and effective technique for ablation of uterine fibroids and complete ablation of T2‐hypointense fibroids.