In 2004, Lisa Golphin was planning to undergo a hysterectomy to treat her fibroids when she learned about an alternative procedure.
According to the Institute of Child Health and Human Development, fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in the muscular wall of the uterus. While fibroids don’t always cause symptoms, their size and location often causes problems for some women, including heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, bladder pressure, constipation and an abnormally enlarged abdomen.
At the time, Golphin had just been granted custody of her niece who was two years old, and she wasn’t looking forward to spending six weeks recovering from the surgery to remove her uterus.
A hysterectomy is considered the most common current therapy for women who have fibroids. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, fibroids account for an estimated 30 percent of hysterectomies in white women and over 50 percent of hysterectomies in Black women.
After Golphin consulted with both her gynecologist and an interventional radiologist at Temple University Hospital and undergoing testing, it was determined that she was a candidate for Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE). The procedure blocks the flow of blood to fibroids, depriving them of the oxygen and nutrients they need to grow.
Golphin’s multiple fibroids were causing heavy menstrual bleeding and pressure on her bladder. After the UFE, the heavy bleeding went away.
“Literally within a couple of menstrual cycles, I noticed the difference,” she said.
Golphin was pleased at how quickly she recovered. Three days after the treatment, Golphin returned back to her job as a manager for the Temple University Hospital MRI department.
“I was just really surprised at how well it worked for me,” Golphin said, a 48-year old resident of Philadelphia. “I really didn’t have to wait six months out to see results.”
These days, Golphin often tells other women who suffer from fibroids about her experience and encourages them to learn more about treatment.
Dr. Gary S. Cohen, an interventional radiologist at Temple University Hospital, says that women should be properly educated about the available options to treat fibroids, including hysterectomy, myomectomy, the surgical removal of fibroids, and uterine fibroid embolization. Because UFE’s were first performed in the mid-90s, it is still regarded as relatively new.
“Quite frankly, a lot of patients are not being told about the procedure. An honest physician would want to tell patients all of the alternatives that are available,” Cohen said.
During the procedure, a local aesthetic is administered and Cohen makes a tiny incision in the groin and passes a small tube called a catheter through the artery while using a moving X-ray.
Once the catheter reaches the uterine artery, the radiologist slowly releases tiny plastic particles the size of grains of sand into the uterine arteries that supply blood to the fibroid.
Prior to conducting the procedure, Cohen consults with his patient’s gynecologist and has the patient undergo an MRI to determine if she is a candidate for UFE.
“If the fibroids are growing into the uterine cavity on a little stalk, you may not want this procedure because were we to block it off it may break off inside the uterus and cause a blockage in the canal,” he said.
According to Cohen, the procedure usually requires an overnight hospital stay and most women can resume general activities within the next day. Within three to six months after the UFE is performed, the patient has another MRI.
“The MRI confirms for me that the fibroids have shrunk down, that there has been diminished blood flow to the fibroids and that the uterus is doing fine,” he said.
The treatment helps decrease menstrual bleeding, urinary frequency and pelvic pain. According to the Society of Interventional Radiation, 90 percent of the women treated with the procedure experience significant relief of heavy bleeding.
While the procedure is considered to be safe, side effects include cramping and a risk of infection that can be treated with antibiotics. |
