Treatment of uterine fibroid tumors in an in situ rat model using high-intensity focused ultrasound

Abstract

Objective To determine the efficacy and safety of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of uterine fibroid tumors in an in situ animal model. Design High-intensity focused ultrasound was applied intraoperatively to uterine fibroid tumors in rats. Setting Department of Bioengineering, and Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Animal(s) Thirty-five tumors in 27 Eker rats that had spontaneous in situ uterine fibroids were randomly assigned into two groups receiving HIFU (n = 29) or sham (n = 6) treatments. Intervention(s) Animals were anesthetized, and tumors were exposed surgically. The HIFU was applied at 3.5 MHz in 10-second bursts to produce coagulative necrosis lesions (3 mm by 10 mm), spaced 5 mm apart. Sham treatments consisted of exposing the tumors, and handling them similarly to those in the HIFU treatment group, but HIFU was not applied. Main outcome measure(s) Tumor volume was measured every week transabdominally using B-mode ultrasound imaging. Gross examination and histological analysis were performed after euthanasia. Result(s) More than half of the tumors in the HIFU treatment group showed significant tumor volume reduction. The average tumor volume in the sham treatment group increased 40-fold. Gross and histological analysis showed coagulative necrosis of tumor cells in the HIFU treatment group. Conclusion(s) The HIFU may provide an effective and safe method of treating uterine fibroid tumors.