Unlike in hysterectomy, the uterus and ovaries are spared.Ī patient will usually recover from the procedure within a few days. The procedure takes about an hour and the recovery time is significantly less than traditional surgery. Under imaging guidance, the physician will enter selectively into both uterine arteries and inject small (500 µm) particles that will block the blood supply to the fibroids. The fibroids begin to shrink, and many women experience rapid relief from their symptoms. A small catheter (1 mm in diameter) is inserted into the uterine artery via the the groin under local anesthesia. They guide the catheter into the uterine artery, map the arteries feeding the fibroids with an arteriogram (an x-ray in which a dye is injected into the arteries). The physician begins the procedure by inserting a tiny tube called a catheter into an artery at the top of the leg. Using endovascular techniques, a physician occludes both uterine arteries, thus reducing blood supply to the fibroid. Uterine fibroid embolization (UAE) - This is a noninvasive, endovascular procedure effectively treating symptomatic fibroids. For many patients, though, a less invasive uterine sparing alternative called uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is an option. Approximately a third to a half of the 600,000 hysterectomies performed each year in the US are for fibroids. Hysterectomy - Many women with fibroids are informed by their doctors that they need a hysterectomy, which is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus. Symptomatic uterine fibroids can be treated by: In those who have symptoms uterine artery embolization and surgical options have similar outcomes with respect to satisfaction. After menopause fibroids shrink and it is unusual for them to cause problems. Most fibroids do not require treatment unless they are causing symptoms. Pelvic pain (caused as the tumor presses on pelvic organs)Īn enlarged abdomen, which causes a constant feeling of fullness or pressure Some women experience iron-deficiency anemia from heavy or prolonged menstrual periods or abnormal bleeding between periods. Common symptoms include:Ībnormal bleeding between menstrual periods Some women with fibroids have mild or no symptoms, while for others symptoms are severe and disruptive. Women of African-American, Hispanic and Asian heritage also seem to be at an increased risk, for reasons not understood. Women in the 30s and 40s are at highest risk of developing fibroids. As many as 50 percent of women develop uterine fibroids at some point in their lives, but because fibroids may not produce symptoms, many women are unaware that they have them. Fibroids range from the size of a pea to the size of a grapefruit. Fibroid growth is linked to the presence of estrogen and progesterone, but the mechanism involved is not understood. Fibroids – also called uterine myomas, leiomyomas or fibromas – are benign growths that develop from smooth muscle cells and fibrous connective tissue either just beneath the outer surface of the uterus, or within the uterine wall. Uterine fibroids are the most common tumors of the female reproductive system.
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