Surgical Management of Fibroids: A Changing Landscape

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Uterine fibroids affect patients' quality of life and contribute significantly to health care costs. Studies from 2009 to 2011 demonstrated that fibroids disproportionately affect Black women, with lower odds of uterine preservation and minimally invasive approaches. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> This is a retrospective cohort study of data abstracted from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2015 to 2019 examining trends in surgical management of uterine fibroids and exploring disparities in surgical approach in a modern cohort. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In total, 52,909 women underwent hysterectomy and 15,485 women underwent myomectomy between 2015 and 2019. Over the study period, the overall number of surgeries for fibroids increased by 44.2% with minimally invasive hysterectomy responsible for the majority of this increase. The proportion of patients who underwent myomectomy significantly increased (20.85% to 24.62%, <i>p</i> value <0.0001), whereas hysterectomy significantly decreased (79.15% to 75.38%, <i>p</i> value <0.0001). Bivariate analysis identified younger age, non-White race, and body mass index (BMI) <25 as significantly associated with performance of myomectomy. Non-Hispanic Black (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 3.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.23-3.89), Asian (aOR: 3.26, 95% CI: 2.80-3.80), and Hispanic Black (aOR: 5.50, 95% CI: 3.29-9.25) women were more likely to undergo myomectomy than non-Hispanic White women. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Surgical treatment for fibroids increased over time, shifting toward uterine preservation. Myomectomy performance is associated with lower age and BMI and identifying as a racial and/or ethnic minority. These trends may represent improved access to surgical treatment of fibroids, resulting from the growth of minimally invasive gynecological surgery as a specialty and advocacy for equitable health care for all patients.