A comparative study of fibroid ablation rates using radio frequency or high-intensity focused ultrasound

This study compared the technical success of fibroid devascularization using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and radio frequency (RF) to provide an experimental basis for the clinical selection of a suitable, minimally invasive method for treating uterine fibroids. Patients were randomly divided into two groups and treated with HIFU or RF accordingly. The two groups of patients were divided again into subgroups A, B, and C based on fibroid diameter and subgroups A', B', and C' based on fibroid blood supply grades. The fibroid diameters in subgroups A, B, and C were 2.0 cm 0.05). In other subgroups, the complete ablation rates of RF were better than those of HIFU (p < 0.05). No severe complications were observed after these two treatments. RF can be applied for the majority of fibroids. As a noninvasive therapy, HIFU could be the preferred method for the treatment of small, hypovascular fibroids.