Uterine Fibroid Tumors
Uterine fibroid tumors, commonly called "fibroids" are also known as myomas, leiomyomas, and fibromyomas. They are almost always benign - meaning non-cancerous- and range in size from very tiny to quite large.
Fibroids are common. In fact, as many as 25% of women under age 50 and 40% over 50 have them. Some women experience no adverse symptoms and don't even know that they have fibroids. For these women, fibroids present no health problems at all.
For many other women, however, fibroids cause symptoms so severe that the women must seek treatment. There can be pain, excessive bleeding, bloating and frequent urination. Only your doctor can tell if your symptoms are caused by fibroids: if they are, you may be able to treat the symptoms without having to remove the fibroids.
If your symptoms persist, though, the most common remedies are fibroidectomy (removal of just the fibroids) and hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and perhaps the ovaries.) More than 1/3 of the 583,000 hysterectomies performed in the U.S. in 1995 were due to fibroids, according to the National Center for Health statistics.
Recently, a new technique has been developed to shrink the fibroids without surgery. This new treatment is Uterine Artery Embolization.
Uterine Artery Embolization
Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) is a relatively new procedure for the treatment of fibroids and their symptoms, so your regular doctor may not be familiar with it. Embolization is a well-established method for treating many types of bleeding, such as that in the uterus after childbirth. UAE is an innovative application of a proven technique.
UAE is based on the premise that fibroid tumors can be "starved out" by cutting off their blood supply. UAE is performed by an interventional radiologist, a physician who uses x-rays and other radiology tools to treat medical conditions without major surgery. The doctor uses sophisticated x-ray technology to find the artery that feeds the fibroids; then, he inserts tiny particles through a very small catheter into the artery, effectively blocking the fibroid's blood supply. The procedure is non-surgical; patients are hospitalized less than 24 hours and return to normal activity within a few days.
The idea is simple and the treatment is effective; 90% of patients experience significant relief from their pre-treatment symptoms.
For more information about Uterine Fibroid Embolization, visit Ask4UFE.com.
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