Precision IR is promoting uterine fibroid embolization as a less invasive alternative to surgery for women with symptomatic uterine fibroids, offering the outpatient procedure at its Farmington Hills office.
“Uterine fibroids are very common. They happen in up to 50% of women,” said Dr. Andy Vartanian, MD, medical director for Precision IR and an interventional radiologist. “Predominantly, [they] can affect Black women of menstruating age.”
Vartanian said patients diagnosed with fibroids should understand the full range of treatments. “When a patient’s diagnosed with fibroids and they’re offered treatment options, they should definitely consider all their options and see that surgery may not be the only treatment option for them,” he said. “Scheduling a consultation with an interventional radiologist like me here at Precision IR is a less invasive option to treat fibroids.”
Uterine fibroid embolization, or UFE, is performed in-office without a hospital stay, according to Vartanian. “The uterine fibroid embolization procedure is outpatient. We do it here in our office,” he said. “The procedure itself takes about an hour. Our patients are given conscious sedation, kind of a twilight sedation. They’re not fully under. And after the procedure and a recovery period, they’re sent home the same day.”
Recovery is typically brief. “Following the procedure, our patients have to lay flat for an hour to let the incision heal,” Vartanian said. “After that, it’s typically 3 to 5 days of pelvic cramping that patients will have. That’s controlled with medications that we provide, and after that, it’s resuming normal activities.”
For many patients, UFE can mean relief without major surgery. “Fibroids can cause pretty severe symptoms, limiting quality of life,” Vartanian said. “A lot of the times they’re only offered surgery or a hysterectomy where the uterus is surgically removed. The uterine fibroid embolization procedure provides a less invasive way to treat their symptoms without the need for surgery. Our patients leave the office with their uterus and just a Band-Aid, as opposed to open surgery, which would require a longer recovery time and possibly hospitalization.”
Vartanian added that the office-based setting can make access easier. “Patients that are treated here in our office have valet parking, complimentary,” he said. “It’s an intimate environment, not the hustle and bustle of a hospital environment, so it’s a little more relaxed. Patients feel a little more at ease while they’re in our office.”
Uterine fibroid embolization is covered by most commercial insurance plans and Medicaid, according to the practice. More information is available at myprecisionir.com.
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