S. Vedantham et al., UTERINE ARTERY EMBOLIZATION - AN UNDERUSED METHOD OF CONTROLLING PELVIC HEMORRHAGE, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 176(4), 1997, pp. 938-948
Transcatheter arterial embolization has recently emerged as a highly e
ffective percutaneous technique for controlling acute and chronic geni
tal bleeding in a wide variety of obstetric and gynecologic disorders.
Benefits for the patient and health care system have included low com
plication rates, avoidance of surgical risks, fertility preservation,
and shorter hospitalizations. In this article the current indications
for pelvic embolotherapy, types of embolotherapy, technical considerat
ions, immediate success rates, causes or failure, complications, and o
utcome expectations are discussed. Our comprehensive literature review
and clinical experience suggest that embolization should be used befo
re surgical treatment of nonmalignant pelvic bleeding in many clinical
settings, including postpartum, postcesarean, and postoperative bleed
ing. It is our strong belief that this form of therapy is underused, a
nd the primary purpose of this article is to emphasize its developing
role as a highly effective, relatively noninvasive method of treating
genital bleeding.