Uterine artery embolization has better short-term outcome than surgery for women with fibroids
FRIDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Women with heavy menstrual bleeding due to symptomatic uterine fibroids show better short-term outcomes with uterine artery embolization than with surgery, while the mid- and long-term results are similar except for higher reintervention rate, according to a review published in the October issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Sanne M. van der Kooij, M.D., from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and colleagues reviewed available literature from September 1995 to November 2010 to compare short-, mid-, and long-term results up to five years after uterine artery embolization or surgery. A total of four randomized controlled trials with 515 premenopausal women with heavy menstrual bleeding due to symptomatic uterine fibroids who underwent uterine artery embolization or hysterectomy/myomectomy were included, and outcomes were compared.
The investigators found that, in the short term, there was less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and quicker resumption of work for those who underwent uterine artery embolization. In the mid- and long-term, there were comparable health-related quality of life results and equal patient satisfaction in the two groups, but a higher reintervention rate was seen in the uterine artery embolization group.
"Uterine artery embolization has short-term advantages over surgery; on the mid- and long-term, the benefits were similar, except for a higher reintervention rate after uterine artery embolization," the authors write.
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