Common questions before the procedure
How successful is UFE?
Approximately nine women out of 10 who have this procedure experience significant or total relief of heavy bleeding, pain, and other symptoms. The procedure is effective for multiple fibroids, and the recurrence of treated fibroids is very rare.
Is UFE safe?
Fibroid embolization is a very safe procedure. For more than 20 years, interventional radiologists have used embolization in the uterus to treat heavy bleeding following childbirth. Embolization has been used since 1995 to treat fibroids. All devices, equipment, and medications used for fibroid embolization are FDA approved. However, as with any medical procedure, there are risks. There is about a 1% chance of injury to the uterus. You should talk with your doctor about the possible side effects of any procedure you may choose.
How will UFE affect my fertility?
By preserving the uterus, women may have an opportunity for future pregnancy, but the full effect of UFE on fertility has not been evaluated. Our interventional radiologists are actively conducting research on this aspect of UFE treatment.
What is the incidence of blood clots that could migrate to the lungs (pulmonary embolism or PE)?
PE is a risk if the patient is not active and a blood clot forms in the lower leg and travels up to the lungs. We have not had this occur because compression boots are utilized to promote circulation and the patient is encouraged to get up as soon as possible. Some patients can be prone to PE because fibroids may block the vein in the leg and compromise blood return to the heart.
What is the incidence of migration of embolization particles to other pelvic organs resulting in damage to healthy tissue?
Migration of the particles is rare. This is seen more if the physician is not adequately experienced with this procedure and embolization procedures in general. Drs. Chrisman and Vogelzang have performed more than 1,000 UFE procedures, and are also highly experienced in many other embolization procedures.
What is the incidence of skin injury (burns) due to excessive x-ray exposure during embolization, which may not appear for a delayed period after treatment?
Skin injury due to the UFE procedure is rare. It would occur only if the physician applied continuous fluoroscopy for a long period of time or intermittently during a very long procedure. We have done other procedures that have lasted as long as 10 hours and have not had this occur because the fluoroscopy is applied only for short periods of time and because we are aware of this potential adverse outcome.
I have more than 10 fibroids, can UFE treat all of them?
Yes, this is one of the advantages of UFE. No matter how many fibroids a patient may have and no matter where the fibroids are located (inside, outside, or within the uterine body) they can all be treated with a single procedure. That is because the all the fibroids are fed by either the left or the right uterine artery. In an embolization procedure, when these arteries are treated, all the fibroids will die almost immediately and its effectiveness should last a lifetime.