Volumetric MR-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation to treat uterine fibroids through the abdominal scars using scar patch: a case report

BACKGROUND: Abdominal scars pose a challenge in magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) therapies, limiting patient selection and increasing the risk of skin burns. Especially, scars arising from longitudinal incisions are problematic as they usually lie medially at the lower abdomen where the ultrasound beam has to go through. Volumetric sonication has been shown to efficiently enlarge the ablated volume per sonication, but they nevertheless require more thermal energy to be deposited per sonication which increases the temperature in the near-field area located between the transducer and the target region. CASE PRESENTATION: The scar patch was used in three patients undergoing MR-HIFU ablation of fibroids using volumetric technique, one with transverse incision and the other two with longitudinal incision. No severe adverse effects were observed. The relative shrinkage of the fibroid of these patients at 6-month follow-up were 67, 78, and 59 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary experience suggests that the use of scar patch on MR-HIFU ablation of fibroids using volumetric technique provides an effective treatment option for patients who were previously excluded from MR-HIFU treatment due to the abdominal scars.