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Abstract
Objective
To describe the reproductive outcomes of patients with diffuse uterine leiomyomatosis (DUL) treated with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation.
Materials and methods
Three patients of reproductive age with DUL who underwent HIFU treatment were enrolled, all of whom had a strong desire to become pregnant. All patients underwent routine laboratory tests, electrocardiography (ECG), chest X-ray radiography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations after routine medical history collection and physical examination. The treatment time, treatment power, sonication time, and adverse events were recorded. One day after HIFU, MRI was performed to evaluate treatment efficacy. The patients were scheduled for follow-up at 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month after HIFU treatment.
Results
All the three patients completed HIFU treatment successfully without any major complication. Uterine size and menstrual volume significantly decreased with the combination of medical and HIFU treatments. The shrinkage rate of uterine volume was 31–44% and the menstrual volume reduced by 1/2 or returned to normal at 3 months post-HIFU. Three patients had successful conceptions between 3 and 11 months after HIFU with healthy deliveries. No uterine rupture occurred during pregnancy and delivery.
Conclusion
HIFU ablation may help achieve a successful pregnancy in patients with DUL.
Acknowledgement
We are grateful to Dr. Wendy Zhang from Department of Radiology, Staten Island University Hospital for helping us edit and revise this paper.
Disclosure statement
Lian Zhang is a senior consultant in Chongqing Haifu. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this case report are available upon request from the corresponding author, LZ. The data are not publicly available because they contain information that can compromise the privacy of the research participants.