Laparoscopic myomectomy after or without pre-treatment with ulipristal acetate

The aim was to compare the surgical experience and the clinical results of laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) with or without pre-treatment with ulipristal acetate (UPA).

Fifty-four women who underwent LM for intramural myomas and were pre-treated with three months of UPA were matched with 54 patients with the same procedure but no hormonal pre-treatment. All operations were performed by one team. The technical features of the procedures were reviewed and evaluated by two other laparoscopists, unaware of the eventual use of UPA. The clinical, histological, and reproductive outcomes of each patient were assessed and the results of both groups were compared.

The groups did not significantly differ in operation time, intra-operative blood loss, drop in hemoglobin concentration, number of complications, pregnancy rate, and delivery rate. Women pre-treated with UPA had significantly longer hospital stays, higher numbers of histologically abnormal leiomyomas, and higher rates of fibroids peri-procedurally assessed as soft and disintegrating. The other four technical parameters of LM were comparable in both groups.

The surgeons performing LM in women pre-treated with UPA should be aware of the abnormal texture of enucleated myomas. Nevertheless, this does not negatively affect the other surgical and clinical outcomes of these patients.