Uterine Fibroid Embolization

Overview :

Uterine fibroid embolization usually is performed in a hospital, but sometimes in an outpatient imaging center. An interventional radiologist normally performs the procedure. Interventional radiologists are physicians who are specially trained to use x rays to see inside the body while guiding narrow tubes called catheters through blood vessels to diagnose or treat various diseases.

Uterine fibroid embolization also may be called uterine artery embolization. This is because the procedure injects tiny particles, called embolic agents, into the artery that supplies blood to the fibroid tumor, blocking off the tumor's blood supply. The radiologist reaches the uterine artery by first making a small nick (about one-quarter of an inch) in the patient's skin in the groin area. From this incision, the radiologist can inset the catheter into the femoral artery and then guide the catheter toward the area of the uterus. Patients do not feel the catheter as it moves along the artery and a nurse or anesthesiologist will provide drugs for pain relief at the insertion site. The nurse or a technologist also will insert a Foley catheter into the patient s bladder. This keeps the bladder emptied so that the radiologist can have a better picture of the uterus and the anatomy that surrounds the uterus during the procedure.

The radiologist can view the progress of the catheter using a moving x-ray technique called fluoroscopy. When the catheter reaches the artery supplying blood to the fibroid tumor, the radiologist injects the embolic agents, which are only about the size of grains of sand. When they gather together, they form a clot and since no more blood can reach the fibroids, they eventually will shrink and disappear. If a woman has fibroids on both sides, the radiologist will guide the catheter around to repeat the procedure on the other side of the uterus. After removing the catheter, the medical team will clean the puncture area and cover it with a bandage. They also remove the Foley catheter. The entire procedure takes about one hour and should cost less than hysterectomy or other surgical treatments. Most insurance companies will pay for uterine fibroid embolization.