Report from the Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA).

Uterine artery embolization (UAE) closes the blood supply to the uterine arteries, causing death of the tissue and shrinkage of the fibroids. In UAE the patient is sedated and given only local anesthesia. The procedure is performed by an interventional radiologist. A catheter is inserted through a small incision in the groin and threaded through the femoral artery to the uterine arteries (Figure 1). Under fluoroscopic guidance, embolic materials are injected until the blood flow to the fibroid ceases. Patients are usually hospitalized overnight, mainly for pain management, but the hospital stay is generally less than 24 hours. Smaller and submucosal fibroids appear more likely to be reduced in volume after UAE than other types of fibroids.