High intensity focused ultrasound treatment for diffuse uterine leiomyomatosis: a feasibility study

To investigate the safety and efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment for diffuse uterine leiomyomatosis (DUL). Eight patients with DUL were admitted to the Department of Gynecology of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital and underwent HIFU treatment. MRI was performed before and one day after HIFU treatment for the evaluation of lesion ablation. The uterine size was measured at 3-8 months after HIFU ablation. The menstrual volume score and serum levels of hemoglobin and CA-125 were measured pre-HIFU ablation and 12-36 months post-HIFU ablation. After an average of 5.9 months of follow-up after HIFU treatment, an average uterine volume reduction of 67.6% was observed. Menstruation returned to normal in all patients, and their serum HGB and CA-125 levels also returned to normal after an average of 19.1 months of clinical follow-up. The quality of life of all patients improved significantly. HIFU treatment is safe and effective in the treatment of patients with DUL.

本研究旨在探讨高强度聚焦超声（high-intensity focused ultrasound, HIFU）治疗弥漫性子宫平滑肌瘤病（diffuse uterine leiomyomatosis, DUL）的安全性与有效性。本研究纳入上海第一妇婴保健院妇科收治的8例DUL患者，所有患者均接受HIFU治疗。分别于HIFU治疗前及治疗后1天行磁共振成像（magnetic resonance imaging, MRI）检查以评估病灶消融情况；于HIFU消融术后3~8个月测量子宫体积。分别于HIFU消融术前及术后12~36个月，检测患者月经量评分、血清血红蛋白（hemoglobin, HGB）及CA-125水平。平均随访5.9个月后，观察到患者子宫体积平均缩小67.6%。经平均19.1个月的临床随访，所有患者月经恢复正常，血清HGB及CA-125水平亦恢复正常；所有患者的生活质量均得到显著改善。HIFU用于治疗DUL患者安全且有效。