Potential Complications of Uterine Fibroid Embolization

Uterine Fibroid Embolization is a safe procedure. There are no incisions. The whole procedure essentially goes through a needle hole where a catheter is inserted into the arteries and down to the arteries that supply the uterus. Over the long-term, the potential issues with Uterine Fibroid Embolization are that we are taking away the blood supply to the fibroids. The way the body fights infections is with cells that travel around the bloodstream. When they detect an infection, they attack it. They obviously cannot get into the fibroids anymore so there is a risk of infection. To mitigate that risk, we have patients take antibiotics just before our procedure, and then keep them on them for about five to seven days after the procedure. The numbers that are quoted are around a 2% risk of infection. In our experience, it’s been much lower possibly because we are generous in our use of antibiotics.