Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) Procedure

How is Uterine Fibroid Embolization performed?
UFE is performed by an Interventional Radiologist (IR), a physician who specializes in minimally invasive imaging guided techniques. It is performed in a dedicated interventional suite with specialized nurses and technical staff. The procedure is performed using local anesthesia and mild intravenous sedation. The physician inserts a small tube called a catheter through a very small incision into an artery at the top of the thigh. Using imaging, the catheter is guided into the uterine artery. Then tiny round particles, know as microspheres, are injected through the catheter into the blood vessels leading to the fibroids. The microspheres block blood flow to the fibroids resulting in both fibroid shrinkage and symptom relief. They remain permanently in the blood vessels at the fibroid site. The UFE procedure takes about two hours to complete and requires an overnight hospital stay.

Who will perform the Uterine Fibroid Embolization procedure?
UFE is performed by our interventionalists, Dr. L.C. Arora, Dr. G.F. Stevens and Dr. E.I. Fankuchen, who have over 50 years of combined interventional experience and have performed thousands of procedures and hundreds of embolizations.