What is the interventional treatment of uterine fibroids

       Interventional treatment is a minimally invasive treatment method that is applied to the lesion through a tiny cavity in the blood vessel or skin, or through the body’s original orifice, under the guidance of imaging equipment. Uterine fibroids are the most commonly used diseases in the field of gynecology. Through intervention, the blood vessels of the tumor are blocked or the tumor is ablated and destroyed to reduce or eliminate the fibroids and relieve clinical symptoms. Interventional treatments for fibroids include uterine artery embolization (UAE), high intensity focused ultrasound ablation (HIFU), and radiofrequency ablation. To a certain extent, interventional treatment has avoided invasive surgery, curbed the growth of fibroids and their clinical symptoms, and achieved certain clinical efficacy. However, there are still more problems: (1) whether satisfactory treatment effect can be achieved for larger fibroids (2) how to reduce residual and recurrence for multiple fibroids (3) long-term effects on ovarian function (4) risk of uterine rupture in another pregnancy and risk of fibroid malignancy, etc.  Uterine Artery Embolization Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) is an emerging micro-innovative treatment for uterine fibroids in recent years. It is performed through a percutaneous femoral artery puncture, inserting an arterial catheter directly into the uterine artery and injecting permanent embolization particles to block the blood supply to the fibroids, causing ischemic changes and gradual shrinkage or even complete disappearance of the tumor, thus achieving the treatment goal. UAE may cause severe contrast allergy, renal insufficiency and coagulation abnormalities, etc. UAE may cause ovarian failure, so basal follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and estrogen levels should be measured before and after treatment, and ovarian function should be closely monitored. The absolute contraindications to the procedure include pregnancy, untreated infection (especially pelvic), severe vascular disease, severe allergy, renal insufficiency, and the relative contraindications are submucosal fibroids, leptomeningeal fibroids, recent GnRHa treatment, previous iliac or uterine artery ligation and menopausal status, and rapidly increasing fibroids. Complications following embolization include pelvic pain, nausea, vomiting, cramping pain, fever, elevated white blood cells, and discomfort, which vary in degree of presentation and do not correlate with the degree of symptom relief. Moreover, because of additional ovarian vascular collateral branches, collateral circulation can be established after the uterine artery is embolized, making it difficult to eradicate uterine fibroids.  HIFU ablates the tumor HIFU is a new energy treatment method that has emerged in recent years, which focuses the acoustic energy from the ultrasound source on a certain area in the human tissue and causes the instantaneous temperature to reach 65-100°C, resulting in coagulative necrosis of the tissue, which is then dissolved and absorbed or fibrotic by the body. In 2004, HIFU was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of pre-menopausal patients with fibroids without fertility requirements. The current clinical indications are mainly for patients who have completed childbirth, who for some reason do not want to undergo surgery and wish to preserve the uterus, and whose tumors are <250px in diameter.  The following conditions are contraindicated: (1) Family history of malignant tumors.  (2) Patients with rapid growth of fibroids in a short period of time.  (3) Fibroids >250 px in diameter with pressure or uterine volume less than 20 weeks of gestation.  (4) Severe vaginal bleeding.  (5) The distance between the target area and the skin predetermined by ultrasound focusing is <25px.  (6) Patients with longitudinal scar in the abdomen (because the scar can absorb a large amount of ultrasound, resulting in local overheating or even burning of the skin, which affects the treatment effect).  It should be noted that the local coagulative necrosis of the myometrial wall caused by HIFU treatment may reduce the elasticity of the myometrial wall in pregnancy and increase the risk of uterine rupture, which is usually selected for patients without fertility requirements. In recent years, this treatment has been attempted in patients with fertility requirements, and successful pregnancies have been reported. However, surgical resection is still preferred for patients who have not yet had children, and HIFU should still be chosen with caution.  Ablation of uterine fibroids Radiofrequency ablation is a rapidly developing thermal destruction technique in recent years, which is a high-frequency electromagnetic wave (540 kHz) capable of producing a warming effect of 60-90°C. The ablation is performed under the guidance of B-ultrasound. Under the guidance of B-ultrasound, the radiofrequency treatment source is applied to the lesion through the vagina, cervix and other natural cavities, and is accurately targeted to the lesion, which causes the tissue temperature to rise and generate hyperthermia, resulting in irreversible coagulation, degeneration and necrosis, and is finally absorbed and discharged by the body. This treatment method is simple, safe, slightly traumatic, short treatment time, no hospitalization, precise efficacy, low cost, easy to accept by patients, and worthy of clinical promotion, which is considered as a tumor treatment method with controllable destruction target and scope.  Radiofrequency ablation for uterine fibroids also has certain indications and limitations: ① small fibroids are better treated, and the treatment effect is inversely proportional to the size of fibroids. For fibroids with diameter <75px it is possible to completely exclude or absorb them, while for fibroids with diameter >125px it is difficult to completely ablate them at one time, and the excessive necrotic material can easily lead to complications such as infection and sepsis. ②When the fibroids are located in the anterior wall, bottom and cervical part of the uterus, the puncture electrode can easily reach the ideal position and the treatment effect is good. Conversely, fibroids in the lateral and posterior walls are poorer; in the case of subplasmalemma, transvaginal treatment is forced to be abandoned to avoid perforating injury to adjacent organs or the uterus. ③Single myomas are treated better than multiple myomas. ④For postoperative complications such as abdominal pain, fever, vaginal drainage and recurrence rate, further improvement is needed.