Application of high intensity focused ultrasound in the treatment of uterine fibroids in overweight/obese women

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) in the treatment of uterine fibroids in overweight/obese women. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 155 overweight/obese women with uterine fibroids treated at our hospital between January 2022 and January 2024. Among them, 75 patients underwent HIFU treatment (observation group), while 80 patients received conventional laparoscopic myomectomy (control group). Perioperative indicators, symptom improvement (assessed by the Symptom Severity Score, SSS), health-related quality of life (HRQL score), complications, and recurrence rates at 1-year post-treatment were compared between the two groups. Results All procedures were successfully completed in both groups. No significant differences were observed in baseline characteristics such as age, BMI, number of fibroids, maximum fibroid diameter, and hemoglobin levels between the two groups (P > 0.05). At 6 months and 1 year post-treatment, the observation group showed significantly better SSS scores (12.61 ± 1.22 vs. 15.89 ± 1.21; 10.40 ± 1.27 vs. 12.03 ± 1.33) and HRQL scores (89.35 ± 1.90 vs. 84.69 ± 1.24; 94.19 ± 1.16 vs. 91.69 ± 1.32) compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The total complication rate in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (9.33% vs. 21.3%, χ² = 4.34, P = 0.04). No recurrence or fibroid enlargement was observed in the observation group at 1-year follow-up. Conclusion HIFU is an effective and safe treatment for uterine fibroids in overweight/obese women, offering advantages such as minimal invasiveness, fewer complications, and faster recovery. It represents a superior minimally invasive option for this patient population.