Philadelphia Tribune - Index

Philadelphia Tribune - April Magazine - Blogger Nation - Index

Uterine fibroids are often a hidden condition
that many women know about but
don’t quite understand. Uterine fibroids
are benign tumors that grow in or on the
walls of the uterus and can cause severe
symptoms such as heavy menstrual
bleeding and pelvic pain. For some
women, these symptoms are so debilitating
that their everyday life is greatly
impacted.
However, there’s good news for
women who develop fibroids. Data published
in the January issue of Obstetrics
& Gynecology asserts the long-term
efficacy of uterine fibroid embolization
(UFE), a less-invasive fibroid procedure
that allows women for whom it is medically
appropriate to avoid hysterectomy.
According to this newly published data
reviewing the use of UFE in more than
1,200 women, UFE was found to provide
sustained improvement in quality of
life and symptom relief. UFE has been
performed in the U.S. for more than a
decade.
Traditionally, hysterectomy has been
the most commonly used treatment
method for women with uterine fibroids,
but it can create lifelong issues for
women. Advances such as UFE may
help prevent the common emotional and
physical issues related to hysterectomy
as well as both short-term and long-term
health issues.
“Although hysterectomy is generally
considered a safe and effective option,
UFE has been shown to be safer, equally
effective in terms of quality of life,
and requires far shorter recovery times,”
said Scott Goodwin, M.D., Chairman
and Professor of Radiology at the UC
Irvine Medical Center, Interventional
Radiologist and the study’s lead author.
“Studies such as this three-year registry
data further support the use of UFE.
Women who are candidates for alternative
treatment may be able to avoid the
potential side effects and complications
30 TRIBUNE MAGAZINE APRIL 2008
HEALTH
Uterine fibroids may be
treatable without a hysterectomy
of hysterectomy.”
According to Goodwin, “Women
should speak with their physician to find
out if they are candidates for UFE. By
further discussing alternatives, it may be
possible to significantly reduce the more
than 600,000 hysterectomies that are
performed annually, one-third of which
are due to fibroids.”
UFE is a nonsurgical procedure performed
by an interventional radiologist
who inserts microspheres the size of a
grain of sand into the blood vessels feed-
ing the fibroids, cutting off the blood
supply and causing fibroids to shrink.
While a hysterectomy may require a
four-to-six-week recovery period, UFE
patients typically return home the next
day and can resume normal activities in
an average of 14 days.
It is important for women to know all
of their treatment options in order to
make an informed decision. Women who
are experiencing symptoms of uterine
fibroids should talk to their doctors to
determine the best treatment for them.