Long-Term Efficacy Shown for Uterine Fibroid Embolization

A new study has shown that uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is a durable treatment for fibroids with sustained improvement in quality of life and symptom relief.

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI; USA) and other institutions reviewed 2,112 women with symptomatic leiomyomata who were eligible for long-term follow-up at 27 sites in the United States, representing a geographically diverse set of practices, including academic centers, community hospitals, and closed-panel health maintenance organizations participating in a prospective voluntary registry, the Fibroid Registry for Outcomes Data (FIBROID). At 36 months after treatment, 1,916 patients remained in the study, and of these, 1,278 patients completed the survey. The primary measures of outcome were the symptom and health-related quality-of-life (QOL) scores from the Uterine Fibroid Symptom and QOL questionnaire.

The results showed that on any procedure for benign uterine fibroids, 90% of the women participating avoided a hysterectomy and of these, 85% had a substantial improvement in symptoms and QOL, independent of practice setting. Mean symptom scores before UFE were 58.61; post-procedure scores at three years were 16.54. Mean QOL scores pre-embolization were 46.95 and at three years were 89.55. The study also identified subgroups of patients that appeared to have a greater likelihood of improvement. The study was published in the January 2008 issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"This registry data is great news for women. With uterine fibroid embolization, we could significantly decrease the hysterectomy rate in the United States,” said lead author Scott Goodwin, M.D, an interventional radiologist at UCI. "It is important for women to know all of their treatment options in order to make an informed decision. Interventional radiologists can provide a second opinion and assess whether UFE is a treatment option. The vast majority of women are eligible for this treatment.”

Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that can cause prolonged, heavy menstrual bleeding that can be severe enough to cause anemia or require transfusion, disabling pelvic pain and pressure, urinary frequency, pain during intercourse, miscarriage, interference with fertility, and an abnormally large uterus resembling pregnancy. UFE is a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment that blocks the blood supply to the fibroid tumors, causing them to shrink and die, and symptoms to subside.


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