High intensity focused ultrasound for the treatment of adenomyosis: selection criteria, efficacy, safety and fertility

Lian Zhang, Fangwen Rao, Rao F, Raymond Setzen, Setzen R
Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2017 · vol. 96(6) , pp. 707–714 · doi:10.1111/aogs.13159 · PMID:28437003 · W2609291869
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High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a safe, non-invasive treatment for adenomyosis offering long symptom relief and high conception/live birth rates when strict selection criteria are applied.

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Abstract

Adenomyosis is a disorder of uterus in which endometrial glands and stroma are present within the uterine musculature. The main clinical manifestations are dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia. Adenomyosis has a great impact on both the quality of life and fertility of women. The treatment of adenomyosis remains an immense challenge. Relevant articles were searched through MEDLINE and PubMed between 2000 and March 2017. The search terms of adenomyosis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of adenomyosis, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), ultrasound-guided HIFU and MRgFUS were used. There were no language restrictions. HIFU is a non-invasive local thermal ablation technique which has been used in the treatment of both focal and diffuse adenomyosis. Several case studies have demonstrated that HIFU presents low rate of minor and/or major complications and, at the same time, a long symptom-relief period. Multiple factors such as the enhancement type of the adenomyotic lesion, volume of the adenomyotic lesions, number of hyperintense foci on T2WI, location of the uterus, location of adenomyotic lesions, thickness of the abdominal wall and distance from the skin to the adenomyotic lesions contribute to the efficacy of HIFU. Consequently, based on these contributing factors, specific and strict selection criteria have been used to achieve higher efficacy. Thus, patients with pelvic endometriosis, adhesions between the bowel and the uterus, or an abdominal surgical scar wider than 10 mm, are not suitable for HIFU treatment. Moreover, HIFU-treated patients with adenomyosis, who wished to conceive, showed high conception and live birth rates. HIFU is a new and promising treatment option for patients with adenomyosis, but its efficacy, safety, cost-effectiveness and fertility outcome must be evaluated by randomized controlled trials.

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Condition tags

dysmenorrheaendometriosisadenomyosis

MeSH descriptors

Adenomyosis Dysmenorrhea High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation Infertility, Female Menorrhagia Ultrasonography, Interventional Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Female High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation Humans Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Magnetic Resonance Imaging Magnetic Resonance Imaging Menorrhagia Menorrhagia Ultrasonography, Interventional

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (29)

Cited by (50)

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