If you or a woman you know is suffering with uterine fibroids, Emerson Hospital can help.
Today there is a non-surgical, minimally invasive procedure called uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) that helps to relieve this painful condition—and restore your health and quality of life.
Best of all, it is available right here at Emerson Hospital’s Yeatts Radiology Center in Concord.
What are uterine fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous (benign) growths in the uterus that often occur during the childbearing years. They can cause pain, infection, back pain, heavy periods and anemia, affect fertility and pregnancy, and block the urinary tract or bowels.
How uterine fibroid embolization works
UFE is a non-surgical, minimally invasive procedure that blocks blood flow to fibroids in the uterus.
During UFE, you are lightly sedated. Using x-ray guidance, an interventional radiologist uses a slender, flexible catheter to inject small particles (tiny, coated microspheres) into the uterine arteries that supply blood to your fibroids and uterus. This blocks the fibroid blood vessels, which starves the fibroids, causing them to shrink and die.
UFE is an outpatient procedure, performed in the Emerson Interventional Radiology Suite at the Yeatts Radiology Center. It does not require incisions in the skin, and most women recover in less than a week.
How effective is UFE?
Endorsed by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for treatment of fibroids, UFE has shown an 85% to 95% success rate.
Who is a candidate for UFE?
UFE is an effective treatment option for about two-thirds of women with fibroids that are causing symptoms. Women who are not candidates for UFE include those whose fibroids are not causing symptoms, those whose fibroids are on a thin stalk (which can be determined with an imaging test), and those who wish to become pregnant.
Some patients have successful pregnancies after UFE treatment, but research indicates that myomectomy—the surgical removal of fibroids—may be a better option if you wish to bear a child.
Support services and groups
The Stenberg Wellness Center for Mind and Body at Emerson also provides an array of programs and classes dedicated to women’s health.
