Facts About UFE From The Society of Interventional Radiology
- About 20 to 40 percent of women age 35 and older have uterine fibroids of significant size.
- About 15,000-20,000 UFE procedures have been performed worldwide, at least half of them in the United States.
- Using embolization to treat uterine fibroids has been performed since 1995.
- Interventional radiologists also perform uterine artery embolizations to treat heavy bleeding after childbirth or injury to the pelvis / uterus.
- Most women with symptomatic fibroids are candidates for UFE and should obtain a consult with an Interventional Radiologist to determine whether UFE is a treatment possibility for them.
- It is reassuring to know that the particles used for UFE have been available with FDA approval for over 20 years. During that time, they have been used in thousands of patients without any long-term complications. Recently, the FDA approved Embospheres for use in the treatment of uterine fibroids. Embospheres are tiny particles injected into the uterine arteries during uterine fibroid embolization to block the blood flow to the fibroids.
Uterine fibroid embolization may be a good treatment option for women who choose not to receive blood transfusions or who have other serious health conditions which increase the risk of surgical procedures (hysterectomies and myomectomies).
