Objective To compare the clinical efficacies of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) in the treatment of uterine fibroids and their effects on patients' quality of life.Design A non-randomised control study.Setting Gynaecological department in a university teaching hospital.Population Patients with uterine fibroids.Methods From November 2014 to November 2015, 166 patients with uterine fibroids were enrolled and underwent HIFU (n = 99) and LM (n = 67) surgeries, respectively. Clinical efficacy, postoperative complications and quality of life after treatment were evaluated using the SF-36 Scale to compare the differences in each variable at the 1-year follow up.Main outcomes measures Differences in efficacy, safety and quality of life between the patients treated with HIFU and LM.Results The 12-month follow-up results showed that the HIFU group had a total effective rate of 99%; only one patient underwent alternative treatment due to non-apparent tumour shrinkage. All patients in the LM group showed complete tumour disappearance. Of these patients, 52 showed significant clinical improvement, 15 with partial clinical improvement, a total effective rate of 98%. There was no significant difference in effectivity rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). Both treatments effectively improved patients' quality of life. Compared with the LM group, patients in the HIFU group experienced no blood loss, a shorter hospital stay and fewer adverse effects and complications, the difference being statistically significant (P < 0.05).Conclusions High-intensity focused ultrasound can be as efficacious as LM therapy and effectively improve patients' quality of life in the treatment of uterine fibroids, with fewer adverse effects and complications, shorter hospital stays, and quicker postoperative recovery compared with LM therapy.Keywords High-intensity focused ultrasound, laparoscopy, quality of life, uterine fibroids.Tweetable abstract Patients with uterine fibroids can be effectively treated with both HIFU and myomectomy.Please cite this paper as: Liu Y, Ran W, Shen Y, Feng W, Yi J. High-intensity focused ultrasound and laparoscopic myomectomy in the treatment of uterine fibroids: a comparative study. BJOG 2017; 124 (S3): 36-39.