CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT OF UTERINE FIBROIDS BY UTERINE ARTERY EMBOLIZATION (UAE)
Abstract:
Uterine leiomyoma is a major public health problem in women of reproductive age. Uterine
fibroids may be present in percentages of 15-20% in women of childbearing age and in percentages of
30-40% in women over 30 years of age.(1,2) Newer figures reveal a percentage higher than 50%
regarding the frequency of uterine fibroids diagnosed on ultrasound in premenopausal women without
symptomatology.(3) Therapeutic conduct in uterine leiomyoma must take into account several aspects
characteristic of the disease, first of all its appearance and progression during female genital activity
with a maximum in the age range of 35 to 55 years and spontaneous involution with the installation of
menopause, all these under hormonal influence. The emergence of demographic and socio-economic
changes that have occurred over the last two decades has led to an increase in the procreation age of
the first child over the age of 35, which unfortunately corresponds to the maximum incidence of uterine
fibroids, so the latter becomes a common cause of female infertility and should be treated
compensatorily in order to preserve the reproductive function. An alternative to classical surgery is the
of the Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE), a technique with an efficiency of over 85% in terms of
dominant symptoms: pain and haemorrhage.(4,5) Embolization of the uterine artery is a safe and
effective mini-invasive method that provides permanent infarction of the tumour tissue without its
subsequent relapse followed by a significant improvement in symptomatology with rapid socioprofessional
reintegration.(6)
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