Review of the evidence for treatment of leiomyomata

Leiomyomata of the uterus are common tumors of women, and a number of treatments are now available for symptoms of this disorder. Surgical treatments include hysterectomy, abdominal myomectomy, laparoscopic myomectomy, and myolysis. Nonsurgical treatments include uterine artery embolization and medical therapy. All have a small amount of accumulated data, but existing studies are generally small and of poor quality. There is a strong need for appropriately designed and analyzed randomized clinical trials, and surgical trials should preferably be multicenter/multisurgeon. In summary, although a large array of options exist, there are still little data upon which to base decisions regarding optimal treatment approaches.