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About UFE
Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) is a procedure to treat fibroids without surgery, with a short recovery time. An interventional radiologist uses a long tube called a catheter to deliver small, microscopic beads that block the fibroids' blood supply. It is used to treat all types of fibroids without surgery. The procedure itself usually takes less than one hour.
UFE may potentially help you:
- Preserve your uterus and decrease urinary dysfuction, pain, pressure, and bleeding
- Spend less time in the hospital and recovering at home, avoid surgery, blood loss, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Improve your overall physical and emotional well-being
- Get your treatment covered by most insurance companies
Overall, UFE is a safe procedure for treating symptomatic fibroids with minimal risk. After one year, 96% of patients indicated they were happy with outcome after a year, and would recommend UFE to a friend. Serious complications are exteremely rare.
Did you know?
- As of 2004, about 13,000 – 14,000 UFE procedures are performed each year in the U.S.
- Embolization, the use of the microscopic beads to stop blood flow, is not new. It has been used by interventional radiologists for 20 years to treat heavy bleeding after childbirth, and for UFE since 1995. It was first used before surgery to decrease blood loss when the fibroids were removed, but many patients surprisingly had their symptoms resolved before the surgery. The FDA has specifically approved the microscopic beads for UFE, based on comparative trials showing similar efficacy with less serious complications than surgical removal options.
- Many women wonder if it is safe to have the microscopic beads in their body. They have been FDA approved for more than 20 years and during that time, have been used in thousands of patients without long-term complications.
- UFE may be a good option for most women with symptomatic fibroids. You should consult with an interventional radiologist to determine whether UFE is the right option for you. An MRI diagnostic test will help the interventional radiologist to determine if the woman is a candidate for this treatment.