Non-invasive treatment of uterine fibroids using MR guided high intensity focused ultrasound: results on quality of life, non-perfused volume ratio and size reduction over 12 months

Materials and method 110 leiomyomas in 98 women (average age 39,3 years) were treated with MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS). The treatment is carried out using the ablative properties of the HIFU system under 3T MRI guide. Symptoms (e.g. menorrhagia, pelvic pain) were scored using Severity Score (SS) and quality of life was determined using the UFS-QOL score. Pre-treatment measurementes of leiomyoma volume were obtained by MR images. Immediately after treatment, Non-perfused Volume (NPV) was calculated from T1-w contrastenhanced MR sequences. The average volume of treated fibroids was 90.27 ± 90.4 mm3. Follow-up images were obtained at 3 and 12 months after treatment and served to determine leiomyoma shrinkage. Qualitative and quantitative relations between fibroid volume, NPV ratio at treatment, and 12-month shrinkage were measured.