FRIDAY, March 26, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- A minimally invasive procedure called uterine fibroid embolization to treat fibroids provides faster recovery times and shorter hospital stays than surgery, a new study concludes.
"Women want options. They want to try to find a non-surgical answer that can provide relief from their horrible symptoms," says study co-author Dr. John Lipman, an interventional radiologist at Radiology Associates of Atlanta. "Uterine fibroid embolization is a non-surgical alternative that is safe and effective. It's a wonderful procedure for those who want to avoid surgery."
The study findings were presented March 26 at the Society of Interventional Radiology's annual meeting in Phoenix.
Fibroids are benign tumors that can grow in the lining, or in between the muscles, of the uterus or on the outside of the uterus. They can vary in size from very small -- about the size of an apple seed -- to as large as a grapefruit. Fibroids can cause pain, pressure, heavy menstrual bleeding or bleeding between periods, as well as infertility, frequent urination and pain during intercourse.
Almost 80 percent of women have fibroids, although many have no symptoms. About one in four women with fibroids will eventually seek treatment, according to the National Uterine Fibroids Foundation.
Treatment options include observation, hysterectomy (the surgical removal of the uterus), myomectomy and uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). In myomectomy, surgeons remove large fibroids individually. Uterine fibroid embolization is performed using a catheter threaded into the femoral artery. Tiny particles are then released into the blood vessels that feed the fibroids, cutting off their blood supply, which causes them to shrink.
In the current study, Lipman and his colleagues compared uterine fibroid embolization to myomectomy in 209 women from 16 medical centers across the United States.
Women who had UFE averaged only one day in the hospital, versus 2.5 days for women who had myomectomy. It took an average of 10 days for women who had UFE to return to work, while those who had myomectomy averaged 37 days before they returned to work. And women who had UFE were able to resume all of their normal activities an average of 29 days sooner than those who had myomectomy.
The researchers also found fibroid symptoms were reduced an additional 6 percent for women who had UFE.
Dr. Mark Werner, an obstetrician and gynecologist at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., says uterine fibroid embolization is "another tool that we can use to treat fibroids."
But, he says, it's not right for every woman. And women need to have realistic expectations going into the procedure because it doesn't destroy the fibroids, only shrinks them, he adds.
Werner says he wouldn't recommend UFE to women who want to get pregnant sometime in the future because the procedure can block blood flow to an ovary, and the procedure can cause early menopause.
Lipman says this is a small risk, and points out it's also a risk for women undergoing myomectomy.
Uterine fibroid embolization isn't available in every hospital yet, and Lipman suggests women go to a medical center where the physicians have already performed many procedures. He says anyone who is considered a good candidate for surgery can also be considered for UFE, and he says the procedure is covered by insurance companies.
Werner notes UFE can also be an option for women who aren't good surgical candidates, including those who have heart disease, diabetes or are obese.
More information
To learn more about fibroids and treatment options, visit the National Women's Health Information Center or the Society for Interventional Radiology.
