UTERINE ARTERY EMBOLIZATION - AN UNDERUSED METHOD OF CONTROLLING PELVIC HEMORRHAGE

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.