Percutaneous microwave ablation with artificial ascites for symptomatic uterine adenomyosis: initial experience

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility, safety and technical efficacy of ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation with artificial ascites for adenomyosis. Materials and methods: Between May 2015 and May 2016, a total of 25 patients with symptomatic adenomyosis who underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation with artificial ascites were included in this retrospective study. A matching cohort of 50 patients underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation without artificial ascites as controls. The technical efficacy, complications and short-term treatment effectiveness were assessed and compared with the controls. Results: Artificial ascites was successfully achieved in all of the 25 patients with the administration of a median of 550mL (range, 250-1200mL) of solution. There was substantial improvement in achieving a better antenna path in 100% (20/20) of the cases with a poor antenna path. The complete separation was achieved in 23 of 25 patients. The mean ablation time was 26.57.3min and the median non-perfusion volume ratio was 76% which was similar to the control group (p>.05). No serious complications were observed. Patient pain scores for dysmenorrhoea showed a statistically significant decline from the baseline of 6.71 +/- 0.96 to 2.92 +/- 0.79 and the symptom severity score declined statistically significantly from 21.8 +/- 5.5 to 16.4 +/- 4.8 at 3 months follow-up. Conclusions: Percutaneous microwave ablation with artificial ascites is feasible, safe and can be effective in improving access for treatment of adenomyosis.