An Evaluation of Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Microwave Ablation for the Treatment of Symptomatic Uterine Fibroids

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids. Materials and Methods A single-center retrospective study was conducted on 17 patients, mean age 37.5 years (SD +/- 7.3; range 19-47 years) with symptomatic uterine fibroid who underwent MWA between September 2018 and December 2022. Outcomes included volume reduction of uterine fibroids, hemoglobin levels, uterine fibroid symptoms, and health-related quality-of-life questionnaire scores before and 12 months after ablation. Results Preoperative fibroid diameter was a mean of 6.7 cm (SD +/- 1.1; range 5-9 cm), and volume was a mean of 101.9 cm(3) (SD +/- 63.3; range 16.9-264.1 cm(3)). The mean ablation time was 12.2 minutes (SD +/- 3.1; range, 8-20 minutes). The mean reduction of volume at 12 months after treatment was 70.9% (SD +/- 23.8). The hemoglobin level increased significantly from 9.96 g/dL +/- 2.33 before treatment to 12.14 g/dL +/- 1.34 at 12 months after treatment (P = .002). The symptom severity score and health-related quality-of-life scores were significantly improved at follow-up (P < .001). Conclusions The application of MWA as a standalone treatment method might provide an effective, minimally invasive option for Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Types 1-6 symptomatic uterine fibroids with the potential to enhance patients' quality of life.