Uterine Artery Embolization in the Management of Symptomatic Fibroids

Introduction: Fibroids (myoma/leiomyoma) are the most common gynecological tumors, which are benign neoplasms originating in the smooth muscles of the uterus. While hysterectomy/myomectomy are the conventional treatment modality, recent studies show that uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an effective alternate treatment modality in the management of uterine fibroids. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of UAE in the management of symptomatic uterine fibroids in premenopausal women, the clinical outcomes and postprocedure quality of life. Materials and Methods: The study was performed during the period from March 01, 2023 to August 31, 2024 for a duration of 18 months. Written and informed consent was obtained from the subjects before enrolling them into the study. This study was conducted in the Intervention Radiology Unit, Department of Radiology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam. Results: The comparison between pre-UAE and 6-month Post-UAE shows that there is 74.83% reduction in summative fibroid Vol.; 74.46% reduction in dominant fibroid Vol.; 53.08% reduction in the largest dimension of the dominant fibroid; a 57.47% reduction in uterine Vol.; and 65.23% reduction in fibroid load at 6-month Post-UAE. Quality of life also shows statistically and clinically significant improvement at 6-month Post-UAE. Conclusion: UAE is an effective method of treatment in case of symptomatic uterine fibroids in premenopausal women, and it also provides an improved quality of life following the procedure.