Fibroids Evaluation & Management

About the service

Specific procedures can destroy uterine fibroids without actually removing them through surgery. They include:

Uterine artery embolization.

Small particles (embolic agents) are injected into the arteries supplying the uterus, cutting off blood flow to fibroids, causing them to shrink and die.
This technique can be effective in shrinking fibroids and relieving the symptoms they cause. Complications may occur if the blood supply to your ovaries or other organs is compromised. However, research shows that difficulties are similar to surgical fibroid treatments, and the risk of transfusion is substantially reduced.
Radiofrequency ablation.

In this procedure, radiofrequency energy destroys uterine fibroids and shrinks the blood vessels that feed them. This can be done during a laparoscopic or transcervical process. A similar procedure called cryomyolysis freezes the fibroids.
With laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation (Acessa), also called Lap-RFA, your doctor makes two small incisions in the abdomen to insert a slim viewing instrument (laparoscope) with a camera at the tip. Fibroids can be found and treated using the laparoscopic camera and ultrasound tool.
After finding a fibroid, we use a specialized device to deploy several tiny needles into the fibroid. The needles heat the fibroid tissue, destroying it. The destroyed fibroid immediately changes consistency, from being hard like a golf ball to be soft like a marshmallow. The fibroid continues to shrink during the next three to 12 months, improving symptoms.