Fibroids (uterine myomatosis, leiomyomas)

Between 50% and 77% of women may have fibroids, depending on the method of diagnosis used. Fibroids may be asymptomatic, or may present with menorrhagia, pain, mass and pressure effects, infertility, or recurrent pregnancy loss. Risk factors for fibroids include obesity, having no children, and no long-term use of the oral contraceptive pill. Fibroids tend to shrink or fibrose after the menopause.

We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of surgical/interventional radiological treatments in women with fibroids? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to May 2014 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Five studies were included. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.

In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery versus no/sham treatment; magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery versus other interventions (hysterectomy, myomectomy, hysteroscopic resection, rollerball endometrial ablation, thermal balloon ablation, thermal myolysis with laser); uterine artery embolisation versus no/sham treatment; uterine artery embolisation versus hysterectomy; uterine artery embolisation versus myomectomy; uterine artery embolisation versus other interventions (magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery, hysteroscopic resection, rollerball endometrial ablation, thermal balloon ablation, thermal myolysis with laser).