How does uterine fibroid embolization work?
Uterine artery embolization (UAE), also called uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), is a non-surgical endovascular procedure performed under light sedation (no general anesthesia) on an outpatient basis. Dr. McLucas makes a small nick in the groin and inserts a catheter into the arteries on both sides of the uterus—the arteries that supply blood for the fibroids in most patients who suffer from uterine fibroids. He injects tiny particles about the size of a grain of sand to block the blood supply. Deprived of blood, the fibroids begin to shrink.
