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Facts about
Uterine Fibroid Embolization ?
UAE - The Right Thing to do for Women
- 85 to 95 % effective in treating all symptoms (i.e. bleeding, pain, pressure)
associated with uterine fibroids.
- Treats single and multiple fibroids.
- Treats all types of fibroids (i.e.) submucosal, intramural, subserosal).
- Fibroids usually shrink 40-7-% following UAE.
- The uterus decreases an average of 50% in size.
- Recovery time is shorter, approximately one week (as compared to six or more
after hysterectomy).
- Immediately following the procedure many women develop menstrual type cramps.
These are well controlled with oral pain medications, and stop within approximately one week.
- There is no risk of adhesions and/or abdominal scar tissue from UAE as with surgery.
- +As of 2001, approximately 20,000 UAEs have been prformed worldwide. It is estimated
that over 500 UAEs are performed each month in the U.S. alone.
How is Uterine Fibroid Embolization Performed?
Patients have an IV started, and are given mild sedation to put
them in a very comfortable light sleep. The groin is cleaned and a small catheter, the size of strand of spaghetti
is inserted in the artery in the groin. The artery is then used as the highway system. The catheter is guided from
the right groin up and over into the left uterine artery. Once in the left uterine artery, the tiny plastic particles
are released from end of the catheter and these plastic particles are carried by the blood stream down into the
blood vessels of the uterus and the fibroids. These particles are larger than the small blood vessels of the fibroid
and the particles lodge in the blood vessels similar to corks, blocking up the blood supply of the fibroid. Once
the blood supply of the fibroids on the left side has been sufficiently blocked, the catheter is pulled back and
repositioned into the right uterine artery. Once again the plastic particles are released to block the blood supply
of the fibroids from the right side of the uterus. The catheter is then removed and a tiny suture is placed under
the skin to prevent any bleeding from the site where the catheter was inserted.
How Will You Feel Afterwards?
Once the blood supply to the fibroids has been stopped the fibroids
begin to die. As the fibroids are dying the body sends in special cells that eat the dead fibroid tissue and remove
it from the body. As the cells eat the dead fibroid tissue, other cells immediately follow behind and replace a
portion of what used to be the fibroid with some scar tissue. This allows the fibroids to shrink down in size and
in 85% to 95% of women the symptoms that the fibroids have caused disappear. As this is occurring in the body during
the first 1 to 2 weeks patients do develop cramping as well as some nausea. This is greatest during the first 8
to 16 hours. Patients are therefore kept overnight in the hospital and are given sufficient pain medications and
anti-nausea medications, so that the procedure is well tolerated. The patients are only limited after this procedure
by the way they feel not because they had major surgery.
Most patients for approximately 1 week feel as if they have had
the flu with some temperature elevations and a feeling of fatigue. This is known medically as post-embolization
syndrome. In a minority of patients it may take 2 weeks for this fatigue feeling to resolve.
What Results Can I expect?
Over the next several months the fibroids continue to shrink in
size with the fibroids on average decreasing 40% to 70% in size and overall the uterus decreasing approximately
50% in size. Although the fibroids receive all of their blood supply only from the uterine arteries, the uterus
receives blood supply from elsewhere. This allows the fibroids to die while the uterus remains healthy. In fact,
many patients have become pregnant after fibroid embolization.
Where do I Call for a Consultation?
Dr. Niedzwieki performs UAE in the Radiology Department of Mease Countryside Hospital.
Dr. Niedzwiecki is a Board Certified Vascular / Interventional Radiologist. He graduated AOA (in the top 10% of
his class) from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and completed his residency in Radiology at the
University of Pittsburgh. He is also Board Certified in Diagnostic Radiology and Fellowship Trained in Interventional
Radiology.
The hospital is located at 3231 McMullen Booth Road, Safety Harbor, FL south of
Curlew Road, and north of Main Street (580)
Where do I Call for a Consultation?
Please Call us TODAY at 727-791-7300 if you have any questions.
We're looking forward to helping you .
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