STOP Uterine Fibroids With a Minimally Invasive Procedure
|  ILLUSTRATION ©DAVID KLEMM |
Bleeding, pelvic pain and pressure, pressure on the bowel, an abnormally enlarged abdomen, and pain in the back, legs, bladder or during intercourse are possible symptoms of uterine fi broids.
Fibroids are benign, non-cancerous growths in or on the walls of the uterus. They may range in size from as small as a pea to as large as a cantaloupe. African-American women and women with family histories of fi broids are more likely to develop them.
Most fi broids cause no symptoms and are only discovered when a woman has a routine pelvic examination. Only 10 to 20 percent of women with fi broids actually require treatment, but your physician may want to continue monitoring the condition.
Some women, however, have debilitating symptoms that affect their daily lives. Which symptoms a woman experiences may depend on the size and number of fi broids as well as their location. One-third of the 600,000 hysterectomies performed each year are due to uterine fi broids.
Traditionally, symptomatic fi broids have been treated with medications (which may cause disturbing side effects) or by removing the fi broids (myomectomy) or the entire uterus (hysterectomy).
Today, Wellington Regional Medical Center offers a minimally invasive alternative called uterine artery embolization (UAE), which preserves the uterus and greatly reduces recovery time compared with other procedures. UAE is performed by interventional radiologists.
 Thomas Kirchner, MD | |
The radiologist inserts a thin tube into the artery in the groin, then uses X-ray imaging to guide the tube to the uterine artery. Tiny plastic particles -- about the size of grains of sand -- are then injected through the tubing. The particles block the blood vessels and disrupt blood fl ow to the fi broids, "starving" them and causing them to shrink or disappear.
The patient is mildly sedated during the procedure and usually requires an overnight stay at the hospital. The patient returns home to light activity for the fi rst few days following the procedure and may return to normal activities in seven to 10 days.
High Success Rate
Uterine artery embolization is a safe and effective
procedure with an 85 to 90 percent success rate.
If you suffer from symptomatic fi broids, talk with
your physician about treatment options. UAE is
covered by most insurers. For more information
or a consultation, please call
|  Jonathan Huber, MD |
Look for these signs of uterine fi broids:
- Heavy, prolonged menstrual bleeding
- Bleeding between periods
- Menstrual cramping
- Pelvic pressure, pain or discomfort
- Pressure on the bladder that causes a frequent urge to urinate
- Constipation
- An enlarged abdomen
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Diffi culty conceiving
- Pain in the back and legs
For more information about uterine fibroids, please visit www.wellingtonregional.com and click on Health Information in the left column. Under Library on the left side of the next page, click on Diseases & Conditions, then click U and scroll down to Uterine Fibroids.
Thomas Kirchner, MD,
and Jonathan Huber,
MD, are board-certifi ed
and fellowship-trained
interventional radiologists
who perform uterine
artery embolization at
Wellington Regional
Medical Center. They have
helped many women
avoid hysterectomies
for fi broids since the
inception of the UAE
Program at Wellington
in 2001. To schedule a
consultation, please call
 |
Wellington Regional Medical Center, 10101 Forest Hill Blvd. Wellington, FL 33414 (561) 798-8500 |
