Long-term outcomes with RFVTA for myoma

Early data from a 3-year study of outcomes with radiofrequency volumetric thermal ablation (RFVTA) in patients with myomas suggests that the technology may be just as effective as laparoscopic myomectomy. A final data analysis is pending on the research, which was were presented at the 45^th AAGL Global Congress in Orlando, Florida.

Performed at a university hospital in Germany, the randomized, prospective, single-center, longitudinal analysis compared RFVTA with laparoscopic myomectomy in 50 premenopausal women aged ≥18 with symptomatic myomas. Postoperative data, based on validated questionnaires, were available for 36 of the patients.

During the 3-year period, the analysis found that in the women who had undergone RFVTA, mean transformed symptom severity scores improved by 52.9% from baseline (95% CI: 9.5, 24.2) compared with 52.1% in the women who had undergone myomectomy. Health-related quality-of-life scores improved by 8.2% in the RFVTA group versus 24.5% in the myomectomy group. Health outcome EQ-5D scores increased by 18% in the RFVTA subjects versus 17.1% in the myomectomy subjects.

Looking at outcomes related to fertility, the researchers reported 4 pregnancies with 3 deliveries and 1 pending delivery of a healthy infant in the RFTA group and 7 pregnancies with 6 deliveries of healthy infants in the myomectomy group. Patient satisfaction with surgery (moderately to very satisfied) was similar in the two groups: 64.3% for RFVTA versus 78.6% for myomectomy.   

Isaacson KB, Krãmer B, Taran A, et al. Laparoscopic radiofrequency volumetric thermal ablation (RFVTA) of symptomatic myomas and laparoscopic myomectomy (LM): clinical outcomes at three years from a randomized trial of uterine-sparing techniques. Abstract 96. JMIG 2016;23(7):S40.