Does uterine artery embolization treat all fibroids?
Dr. Atabak Allaei is a Vascular and Interventional Radiologist, an imaging specialist with extensive experience in embolization procedures. In addition he has years of experience in all facets of minimally invasive procedures including peripheral arterial disease, varicose veins, kyphoplasty, chemoembolization, Y90 radioembolization,... more
Uterine fibroids are benign growths of the uterine muscle occurring in 30-40% of women, with up to 70% of women developing fibroids by the age of 50. (1) Uterine fibroid embolization, or UFE, is a non-surgical image-guided procedure that effectively treats all uterine fibroids in one treatment. This is done by placing a tiny catheter into the uterine artery and blocking the blood flow to the fibroids using tiny beads. Uterine fibroids are very vascular and receive their blood supply from the uterine arteries, which allows the fibroids to grow over time if left untreated. (2,3)
Fibroid embolization has been an FDA-approved treatment for uterine fibroid for over 20 years and is recognized by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an effective treatment for fibroid tumors. Fibroid embolization can be performed as an outpatient procedure through a tiny pinhole in the skin, resulting in a faster return to work and minimal risk (after 30 days) when compared to having a hysterectomy. (4)
Nearly 90 percent of patients have significant improvement and are satisfied with having undergone the fibroid embolization procedure, saving the uterus. (5) Nearly a similar number of patients report they are still happy with their results 5 years later. (6) Abnormal fibroid bleeding usually stops within one to two months, but it may stop immediately. On average, fibroids shrink approximately 40 percent to 60 percent in size by six months, and they may continue to shrink for a year or more.
1. Day Baird D, Dunson DB, Hill MC, Cousins D, Schectman JM. High cumulative incidence of uterine leiomyoma in black and white women: ultrasound evidence. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2003 Jan;188(1):100 – 7.
2. Pelage, J.-P., Cazejust, J., Pluot, E., Le Dref, O., Laurent, A., Spies, J. B., … Lacombe, P. (2005). Uterine Fibroid Vascularization and Clinical Relevance to Uterine Fibroid Embolization. Radiographics, 25, S99–S117.
3. Peddada, S. D., Laughlin, S. K., Miner, K., Guyon, J.-P., Haneke, K., Vahdat, H. L, Baird, D. D. (2008). Growth of uterine leiomyomata among premenopausal black and white women. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(50), 19887–19892.
4. Spies J et al. Outcome of uterine embolization and hysterectomy for leiomyomas: results of a multicenter study. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2004;191: 22-31.
5. Lohle, P. et al. Long term outcome of uterine artery embolization for symptomatic uterine leiomyomas. JVIR 2008; 19:319-326
6. Gupta JK, Sinha A, Lumsden MA, Hickey M. Uterine artery embolization for symptomatic uterine fibroids. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD005073.
