TUESDAY, May 6, 2003 (HealthDayNews) --
Radiological procedures help relieve the pain of uterine fibroids in women without causing infertility or premature menopause.
That the finding of a study presented May 5 at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society in San Diego.
The study, led by Dr. Hyun S. Kim of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, found that using special particles or spheres of varying size to block blood flow to the uterine fibroids relieved patient symptoms.
The researchers blocked the uterine and ovarian arteries feeding the fibroids in six women. Three other women had only the ovarian arteries feeding a fibroid blocked.
Symptoms improved in all nine women, the study found.
While there is concern that an organ will die when its blood flow is cut off, the study found no sign of premature ovarian failure in the study participants. Some of them have been followed for up to a year after the procedure and all the women report normal menstrual periods and no significant hormonal changes.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about uterine fibroids.
