Many women suffer from uterine fibroids, which can cause heaviness, pain, and cramping in the pelvic area, as well as heavy menstrual periods and difficulty with urination. In years’ past, the only way to treat uterine fibroids was with open surgery—either a hysterectomy, which is complete removal of the uterus or a myomectomy to try to “morsel out” the fibroids themselves.

Today, a much less invasive procedure is available: uterine fibroid embolization. Dr. Vaishak Amblee, Interventional Radiologist at Riverside Healthcare, explains what this procedure involves and what women can expect in terms outcomes and symptom relief.

How Does Uterine Fibroid Embolization Work?
Using interventional radiology techniques, interventional radiologists like Dr. Amblee are able to navigate the arterial system that leads to the uterus with small catheters and then block off blood supply to the fibroids. Without blood supply, the fibroids eventually reduce in size and thereby reduce symptoms as well.

“Most of the time, we’ve seen reduction of the fibroids by about 50%. So, the fibroids are still there. But essentially, they’ve involuted or shrunk down and there’s no more future growth, which reduces symptoms by up to 85-90% in most patients,” states Dr. Amblee.

Benefits of the Procedure
Uterine fibroid embolization is almost always an outpatient procedure, meaning patients can return home the same day. In some cases, a patient may need to stay overnight in the hospital for pain management. There is no incision, just a small “nick” where surgeons access the femoral artery.

Many patients are back to performing their normal routines within a week. Another key benefit to this procedure is that it does not affect a woman’s ability to have a child—unlike hysterectomy. Reducing the fibroids also aids in fertility, which is something a number of women with uterine fibroids struggle with.

“A lot of women have trouble with fertility and conception and pregnancy because of fibroids, depending on the size and location of the fibroid. By treating these fibroids and reducing their size, sometimes it actually aids women in getting pregnant,” explains Dr. Amblee.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Uterine Fibroid Embolization?
To determine if a patient is a good candidate for uterine fibroid embolization, they need to undergo a combination of clinical evaluation and imaging evaluation.

“We definitely want an MRI of the pelvis with contrast,” notes Dr. Amblee. “This gives us an idea of where the fibroids are, how big they are, how well they enhance, which means how good the blood supply is to the fibroids. The more enhancing fibroids and the larger fibroids are the ones that are probably causing most of the symptoms. Having this imaging allows us to evaluate whether or not this will be a successful procedure.”

There is a chance fibroids could continue to cause symptoms, in which case patients may need to repeat the procedure. “In the future, if the patient has recurrent symptoms, we can always re-evaluate, re-image, and re-treat,” assures Dr. Amblee.