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Enhancing Ablation Effects of a Microbubble-Enhancing Contrast Agent (“SonoVue”) in the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids With High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  • Clinical Investigation
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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the role of the ultrasound contrast agent SonoVue in enhancing the ablation effects of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) on uterine fibroids.

Methods

Eighty patients with solitary uterine fibroids at a single center were randomly assigned to a control or SonoVue group. Of these, 40 were treated using HIFU alone; 40 who were pretreated with SonoVue received a bolus before the HIFU procedure. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan before and after HIFU treatment.

Results

The post-HIFU MRI showed the nonperfused volume (NPV) in all of the treated uterine fibroids; the mean fractional ablation (NPV ratio) was 90.4 ± 8.3 % (range 66.4–100 %) in the SonoVue group and 82.8 ± 13.3 % (range 53.4–100 %) in the control group. The frequency of massive gray-scale changes that occurred during HIFU was greater in the group that received SonoVue than the group that did not. The average sonication time to reach massive gray-scale changes was significantly shorter in the group receiving SonoVue than the group without SonoVue. The acoustic energy for treating 1 mm3 of uterine fibroid was less in the SonoVue group than the control group. No any major complication occurred in this study.

Conclusion

Based on the results of this randomized controlled trial, SonoVue could be safely used to enhance the effects of HIFU treatment for uterine fibroids.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Key Technologies Research and Development Program (Grant No. 2011BAI14B01) and the National Program on Key Basic Research Project (973 Program) (Grant No. 2011CB707905). Rakesh K. Mathur helped with the grammar and spelling check.

Conflict of interest

Nan Jiang, Bin Xie, Xin Zhang, Min He, Kequan Li, and Jia He have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Lian Zhang is a senior consultant to Chongqing Haifu, Chongqing, China. Jin Bai is a shareholder in and consultant to Chongqing Haifu, Chongqing, China. Zhibiao Wang is a shareholder in and full-time employee of Chongqing Haifu.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Engineering in Medicine Co-founded by Chongqing and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China

    Nan Jiang, Xin Zhang, Min He, Kequan Li, Jin Bai, Zhibiao Wang & Lian Zhang

  2. Department of Ultrasound, Huanggang Central Hospital, Huanggang, 438000, Hubei, China

    Bin Xie

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Suining Central Hospital, Suining, 629000, Sichuan, China

    Jia He

Authors
  1. Nan Jiang
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  2. Bin Xie
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  3. Xin Zhang
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  4. Min He
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  5. Kequan Li
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  6. Jin Bai
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  7. Zhibiao Wang
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  8. Jia He
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  9. Lian Zhang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jia He or Lian Zhang.

Additional information

Nan Jiang, Bin Xie, and Xin Zhang are joint first authors who all contributed equally to this research.

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Jiang, N., Xie, B., Zhang, X. et al. Enhancing Ablation Effects of a Microbubble-Enhancing Contrast Agent (“SonoVue”) in the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids With High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 37, 1321–1328 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00270-013-0803-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00270-013-0803-z

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