Comparison of high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for uterine fibroids with different blood flow grading based on Alder classification
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation (USgHIFU) for uterine fibroids with different blood flow grading based on Alder classification. A total of 353 patients with solitary uterine fibroid who underwent USgHIFU from July 2014 to July 2019 were enrolled. The patients were classified as four groups based on blood flow grading in fibroids. The relevant factors influencing the therapeutic effect were analyzed. Significant differences were observed in treatment time, irradiation time, irradiation intensity, nonperfusion volume (NPV), NPV ratio and energy efficiency factor (EEF) among the four groups ( Our results suggested that the difficulty of USgHIFU treatment for uterine fibroids could be evaluated using Alder classification. The fibroids with more blood flow were more difficulty to treat. However, satisfactory NPV ratio could be achieved even fibroids with abundant blood supply, and the long-term intervention rate was not increased.