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Background: Since 1995 uterine artery embolization has been described as an alternative for hysterectomy in patients with symptomatic fibroids. Many studies including several randomized controlled trials established uterine artery embolization as a valuable treatment. These randomized controlled trials reported outcomes in terms of health-related quality of life, clinical outcomes, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness after 1, 2, and 5 years of follow-up., Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcome and health-related quality of life 10 years after uterine artery embolization or hysterectomy in the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding caused by uterine fibroids in a randomized controlled trial., Study Design: In all, 28 Dutch hospitals recruited patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids who were eligible for hysterectomy. Patients were 1:1 randomly assigned to uterine artery embolization or hysterectomy. The outcomes assessed at 10 years postintervention were reintervention rates, health-related quality of life, and patient satisfaction, which were obtained through validated questionnaires. Study outcomes were analyzed according to original treatment assignment (intention to treat)., Results: A total of 177 patients were randomized from 2002 through 2004. Eventually 81 uterine artery embolization and 75 hysterectomy patients underwent the allocated treatment shortly after randomization. The remaining patients withdrew from the trial. The 10-year questionnaire was mailed when the last included patient had been treated 10 years earlier. The mean duration of follow-up was 133 months (SD 8.58) accompanied by a mean age of 57 years (SD 4.53). Questionnaires were received from 131 of 156 patients (84%). Ten years after treatment, 5 patients underwent secondary hysterectomy resulting in a total of 28 of 81 (35%) (24/77 [31%] after successful uterine artery embolization). Secondary hysterectomies were performed for persisting symptoms in all cases but 1 (for prolapse). After the initial treatment health-related quality of life improved significantly. After 10 years, generic health-related quality of life remained stable, without differences between both groups. The urogenital distress inventory and the defecation distress inventory showed a decrease in both groups, probably related to increasing age, without significant differences between study arms. Satisfaction in both groups remained comparable. The majority of patients declared being (very) satisfied about the received treatment: 78% of the uterine artery embolization group vs 87% in the hysterectomy group., Conclusion: In about two thirds of uterine artery embolization-treated patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids a hysterectomy can be avoided. Health-related quality of life 10 years after uterine artery embolization or hysterectomy remained comparably stable. Uterine artery embolization is a well-documented and less invasive alternative to hysterectomy for symptomatic uterine fibroids on which eligible patients should be counseled., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We report a case of a 20-week pregnant woman, who underwent embolisation of a cervical fibroid to end a life-threatening massive bleeding. This is the first reported case in the literature of a super-selective uterine fibroid embolisation (UFE) in a pregnant woman, even though pregnancy is considered an absolute contraindication for UFE. This rare case demonstrates that UFE can be safely performed during pregnancy providing an excellent short- and long-term clinical outcome for both mother and child.

Objectives: The volume of a fibroid uterus before performing hysterectomy is typically estimated through bimanual examination and confirmed by ultrasonography. This study compares estimated volumes by bimanual examination and ultrasound examination with MRI and actual volumes obtained from histopathology, as gold standards., Study Design: We used data from a previous prospective randomized multi-center trial that compared hysterectomy and uterine artery embolization (UAE) for the treatment of symptomatic fibroids. All patients underwent bimanual vaginal examination and pelvic ultrasonography. Those women randomized to UAE received a pelvic MRI. For women randomized to hysterectomy, the exact uterine volume was based on histopathologic examination. We compared the calculated volumes based on ultrasound parameters and estimated volume based on bimanual examination with either the calculated volumes of the pelvic MRI parameters or the calculated volume based on the exact weight during histological examinations., Results: Our study demonstrated poor agreement between ultrasound and bimanual examination compared with exact volume during histopathologic examination and MRI-based volume. The agreement within the patient group with uterine volume >233 g and >747 g was fair to good. For those women with a uterine volume between 233 and 747 g, the agreement was poor when comparing bimanual estimates with volume obtained from MRI or histolopathologic examination. Within this volume group, the agreement on uterine volume between ultrasound and MRI or histopathologic examination was fair., Conclusions: Our study shows that uterine volume as estimated by ultrasound and bimanual examination can be used for small or large uteri. For uteri with an intermediate volume, bimanual examination and ultrasound are less reliable., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study was designed to compare the costs and effects of epidural analgesia (EDA) to those of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCA) for postintervention pain relief in women having uterine artery embolization (UAE) for systematic uterine fibroids., Methods: Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) based on data from the literature by constructing a decision tree to model the clinical pathways for estimating the effects and costs of treatment with EDA and PCA. Literature on EDA for pain-relief after UAE was missing, and therefore, data on EDA for abdominal surgery were used. Outcome measures were compared costs to reduce one point in visual analogue score (VAS) or numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain 6 and 24 h after UAE and risk for complications., Results: Six hours after the intervention, the VAS was 3.56 when using PCA and 2.0 when using EDA. The costs for pain relief in women undergoing UAE with PCA and EDA were 191 and 355, respectively. The costs for EDA to reduce the VAS score 6 h after the intervention with one point compared with PCA were 105 and 179 after 24 h. The risk of having a complication was 2.45 times higher when using EDA., Conclusions: The results of this indirect comparison of EDA for abdominal surgery with PCA for UAE show that EDA would provide superior analgesia for post UAE pain at 6 and 24 h but with higher costs and an increased risk of complications.

Objectives: To determine the effect of preference and treatment allocation on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients in the randomized EMMY trial of hysterectomy versus uterine artery embolization (UAE) for symptomatic uterine fibroids., Study Design: We invited 349 patients eligible for trial participation, of which 177 agreed to participate (the 'randomized group'). Within the randomized group, patients were allocated to. UAE (n=88) or hysterectomy (n=89). The remaining 172 patients refused randomization and received the treatment of their preference (varying from hysterectomy to no treatment at all), of which 103 patients agreed to fill in questionnaires (the 'preference group'). Patients' treatment preferences and HRQOL were assessed at baseline and the patients were prospectively followed to evaluate HRQOL at 12 months after treatment., Results: At baseline, most patients in the randomized group preferred UAE: 115/177 (65%). In the preference group most patients preferred hysterectomy: 100/172 (58%). At 12 months there was no effect of having had the preferred treatment on HRQOL, neither in the randomized nor in the preference group. The randomized group improved significantly in both mental and physical health, compared to baseline. In the preference group, only mental health improved compared to baseline, while physical health did not improve significantly., Conclusions: In a randomized trial comparing UAE and hysterectomy for symptomatic fibroids, the pre-randomization preference for a specific treatment did not affect HRQOL. Trial participants improved better on physical HRQOL than women who refused to participate., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To summarize the evidence on short-, mid-, and long-term results up to 5 years of uterine artery embolization in comparison to surgery., Study Design: We searched the CENTRAL, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for randomized clinical trials comparing uterine artery embolization with hysterectomy/myomectomy in premenopausal women with heavy menstrual bleeding caused by symptomatic uterine fibroids, written from September 1995 to November 2010. Two reviewers independently assessed methodologic quality and extracted data from included trials., Results: Four randomized controlled trials with a total of 515 patients were included. On the short-term, uterine artery embolization showed fewer blood loss, shorter hospital stay, and quicker resumption of work. Mid- and long-term results showed comparable health-related quality of life results and a higher reintervention rate in the uterine artery embolization group, whereas both groups were equally satisfied., Conclusion: 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., (Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcome and health related quality of life (HRQOL) 5 years after uterine artery embolization (UAE) or hysterectomy in the treatment of menorrhagia caused by uterine fibroids., Study Design: Patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids who were eligible for hysterectomy were assigned randomly 1:1 to hysterectomy or UAE. Endpoints after 5 years were reintervention rates, menorrhagia, and HRQOL measures that were assessed by validated questionnaires., Results: Patients were assigned randomly to UAE (n = 88) or hysterectomy (n = 89). Five years after treatment 23 of 81 UAE patients (28.4%) had undergone a hysterectomy because of insufficient improvement of complaints (24.7% after successful UAE). HRQOL measures improved significantly and remained stable until the 5-year follow-up evaluation, with no differences between the groups. UAE had a positive effect both on urinary and defecation function., Conclusion: UAE is a well-established alternative to hysterectomy about which patients should be counseled., (Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Mosby, Inc.)

Purpose: To investigate whether uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a cost-effective alternative to hysterectomy for patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids, the authors performed an economic evaluation alongside the multicenter randomized EMMY (EMbolization versus hysterectoMY) trial., Materials and Methods: Between February 2002 and February 2004, 177 patients were randomized to undergo UAE (n = 88) or hysterectomy (n = 89) and followed up until 24 months after initial treatment allocation. Conditional on the equivalence of clinical outcome, a cost minimization analysis was performed according to the intention to treat principle. Costs included health care costs inside and outside the hospital as well as costs related to absence from work (societal perspective). Cumulative standardized costs were estimated as volumes multiplied with prices. The nonparametric bootstrap method was used to quantify differences in mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) costs between the strategies., Results: In total, 81 patients underwent UAE and 75 underwent hysterectomy. In the UAE group, 19 patients (23%) underwent secondary hysterectomies. The mean total costs per patient in the UAE group were significantly lower than those in the hysterectomy group ($11,626 vs $18,563; mean difference, -$6,936 [-37%], 95% CI: -$9,548, $4,281). The direct medical in-hospital costs were significantly lower in the UAE group: $6,688 vs $8,313 (mean difference, -$1,624 [-20%], 95% CI: -$2,605, -$586). Direct medical out-of-hospital and direct nonmedical costs were low in both groups (mean cost difference, $156 in favor of hysterectomy). The costs related to absence from work differed significantly between the treatment strategies in favor of UAE (mean difference, -$5,453; 95% CI: -$7,718, -$3,107). The costs of absence from work accounted for 79% of the difference in total costs., Conclusions: The 24-month cumulative cost of UAE is lower than that of hysterectomy. From a societal economic perspective, UAE is the superior treatment strategy in women with symptomatic uterine fibroids.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes for uterine artery embolization (UAE) and hysterectomy up to 24 months after the intervention in terms of mental and physical health, urinary and defecatory function, and overall patient satisfaction., Materials and Methods: Ethics committee approval and informed consent were obtained for the Embolisation versus Hysterectomy Trial. Women (n = 177) with uterine fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding who were scheduled to undergo hysterectomy were randomly assigned to undergo UAE (n = 88) or hysterectomy (n = 89). HRQOL was measured six times during a 24-month follow-up period with the following validated questionnaires: Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) mental component summary (MCS) and physical component summary (PCS), Health Utilities Index Mark 3, EuroQol 5D, urogenital distress inventory (UDI), incontinence impact questionnaire, and defecation distress inventory (DDI). Satisfaction was assessed with a seven-point Likert scale. Repeated measurement analysis was performed for between-group analysis. Paired t tests were performed for within-group analysis. Satisfaction was analyzed with the Fisher exact test., Results: The SF-36 MCS and PCS, Health Utilities Index Mark 3, EuroQol 5D, and UDI scores were improved significantly in both groups at 6 months and afterward (P < .05). The DDI score was improved significantly in only the UAE group at 6 months and afterward (P < .05). No differences between groups were observed, with the exception of PCS scores at 6-week follow-up: Patients in the UAE group had significantly better scores than did patients in the hysterectomy group (P < .001). Improvement in PCS score at 24-month follow-up was significantly higher for patients who were employed at baseline (P = .035). At 24-month follow-up, patients in the hysterectomy group were significantly more satisfied than those in the UAE group (P = .02)., Conclusion: Both UAE and hysterectomy improved HRQOL. No differences were observed between groups regarding HRQOL at 24-month follow-up. On the basis of HRQOL results, the authors determined that UAE is a good alternative to hysterectomy., ((c) RSNA, 2008.)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly applied in the evaluation of uterine fibroids. However, little is known about the reproducibility of MRI in the assessment of uterine fibroids. This study evaluates the inter- and intraobserver variation in the assessment of the uterine fibroids and concomitant adenomyosis in women scheduled for uterine artery embolization (UAE). Forty patients (mean age: 44.5 years) with symptomatic uterine fibroids who were scheduled for UAE underwent T(1)- and T(2)-weighted MRI. To study inter- and intraobserver agreement 40 MR images were evaluated independently by two observers and reevaluated by both observers 4 months later. Inter- and intraobserver agreement was calculated using Cohen's kappa statistic and intraclass correlation coefficient for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Inter-observer agreement for uterine volumes (kappa = 0.99, p < 0.0001), dominant fibroid volumes (kappa = 0.98, p

Background: Ovarian failure as a complication of uterine artery embolization (UAE) for symptomatic uterine fibroids has raised concerns about this new treatment modality., Methods: We investigated the occurrence of ovarian reserve reduction in a randomized trial comparing UAE and hysterectomy by measuring follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH). A total of 177 pre-menopausal women with menorrhagia due to uterine fibroids were included (UAE:n=88; hysterectomy:n=89). FSH and AMH were measured at baseline and at several time-points during the 24 months follow-up period. Follow-up AMH levels were also compared to the expected decrease due to ovarian ageing during the observational period., Results: FSH increased significantly compared to baseline in both groups after 24 months follow-up (within group analysis: UAE:+12.1; P=0.001; hysterectomy:+16.3; P<0.0001). No differences in FSH values between the groups were found (P=0.32). At 24 months after treatment the number of patients with FSH levels>40 IU/l was 14/80 in the UAE group and 17/73 in the hysterectomy group (relative risk=0.75; P=0.37). AMH was measured in 63 patients (UAE: n=30; hysterectomy: n=33). After treatment AMH levels remained significantly decreased during the entire follow-up period only in the UAE group compared to the expected AMH decrease due to ageing. No differences were observed between the groups., Conclusions: This study shows that both UAE and hysterectomy affect ovarian reserve. This results in older women becoming menopausal after the intervention. Therefore, the application of UAE in women who still wish to conceive should only be considered after appropriate counselling.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of uterine artery embolization (UAE) and hysterectomy for symptomatic uterine fibroids by means of a randomized controlled trial. The present paper analyses short-term outcomes, i.e., pain and return to daily activities., Methods: Patients were randomized (1:1) to UAE or hysterectomy. Pain was assessed during admission and after discharge, both quantitatively and qualitatively, using a numerical rating scale and questionnaires. Time to return to daily activities was assessed by questionnaire., Results: Seventy-five patients underwent hysterectomy and 81 patients underwent UAE. UAE patients experienced significantly less pain during the first 24 hr after treatment (p = 0.012). Non-white patients had significantly higher pain scores. UAE patients returned significantly sooner to daily activities than hysterectomy patients (for paid work: 28.1 versus 63.4 days; p < 0.001). In conclusion, pain appears to be less after UAE during hospital stay. Return to several daily activities was in favor of UAE in comparison with hysterectomy.

Purpose: Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an emerging treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroid tumors. This study was performed to evaluate the periprocedural results of the UAE procedure and identify risk factors for technical failure, fever after UAE, pain, and other complications., Materials and Methods: As part of a multicenter, randomized trial to compare UAE versus hysterectomy in patients with symptomatic uterine fibroid tumors, 81 patients underwent UAE. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify predictors for technical failure, postprocedural fever, complications as defined by the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), and pain scores., Results: The technical failure rate according to SIR guidelines was 5.3% (95% CI, 2.3%-10.1%). The procedural failure rate was 17.3% (95% CI, 9.8%-27.3%). Bilateral failure occurred in four of 81 patients and unilateral failure occurred in 10 of 81 patients. Technical failure occurred mainly as a result of difficult anatomy (3.7%) or absence of the uterine artery (3.1%). The overall complication rates were 28.4% during the patients' hospital stay and 60.5% for the 6 weeks after discharge. The risk of technical failure was found to increase in the presence of a single fibroid tumor (odds ratio [OR], 6.21; 95% CI, 1.65-23.41; P = .007) and/or a small uterine volume (<500 cm(3); OR, 10.8; 95% CI, 1.25-93.36; P = .03). The amount of embolization material was associated with the onset of fever after UAE (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.09-3.87; P = .027), major complications (OR, 5.68; 95% CI, 2.05-15.75; P = .001), and high pain scores (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.08-3.58; P = .027)., Conclusions: The procedural failure rate for UAE was higher than those reported by others, mainly as a result of difficult anatomy and absence of a uterine artery in some cases. The risk of procedural failure was increased for patients with single fibroid tumors and/or small uterine volumes. A clear dose-effect response was revealed between the amount of embolization material used and the risk for postprocedural fever, major complications, and severe pain.

Objective: This was a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety of uterine artery embolization (UAE) compared with hysterectomy., Study Design: Twenty-eight Dutch hospitals recruited 177 patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids and menorrhagia who were eligible for hysterectomy. Patients were randomized to UAE (n = 88) or hysterectomy (n = 89). In this paper we evaluate the peri- and postprocedural complications, length of hospital stay, unscheduled visits, and readmission rates up to 6 weeks' post-intervention. Analysis was by intention to treat., Results: Bilateral UAE failure occurred in 4 patients (4.9%). Major complications occurred in 4.9% (UAE) and 2.7% (hysterectomy) of cases (P = .68). The minor complication rate from discharge until 6 weeks after was significantly higher in the UAE group than in the hysterectomy group (58.0% vs 40.0%; RR 1.45 [1.04-2.02]; P = .024). UAE patients were more often readmitted (11.1% vs 0%; P = .003). Total length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in UAE patients (mean [SD]: 2.5 [2.7] vs 5.1 [1.3], P < .001)., Conclusion: UAE is a procedure similar to hysterectomy with a low major complication rate and with a reduced length of hospital stay. Higher readmission rates after UAE stress the need for careful postprocedural follow-up.

A 54-year-old woman had an expulsed myoma 10 weeks after uterine artery embolization. After treatment with antibiotics and a small surgical intervention, she recovered completely without any sign of myomatous disease afterwards. Patients should be informed about the possibility of expulsion. Expulsion of myomas after uterine artery embolization occurs relatively frequently and may be just one of the ways to attain cure.