Recovery after uterine artery embolization for leiomyomas: a detailed analysis of its duration and severity.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the duration and severity of recovery after uterine artery embolization (UAE) for leiomyomas.


METHODS
As part of a study comparing different embolic materials used for UAE, detailed data on the severity of postprocedural recovery were gathered in 99 patients. These data included patient-controlled analgesia records, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores of daily peak pain levels for 7 days, medication use in the first week, and severity of constitutional symptoms experienced over the course of the first month after the procedure. The VAS scale assesses acute pain severity on a 10-cm linear scale and yields a continuous measure from 1 to 10. The constitutional symptoms were scored based on a questionnaire. The data were analyzed with use of summary statistics, and linear regression analysis was used to determine the impact of various baseline factors on the severity of recovery.


RESULTS
The mean peak VAS score for the first 24 hours after UAE was 3.03 (SD, 0.26) and the mean maximum score in the first week was 4.89 (SD, 0.26). Only 11 patients had an in-hospital VAS score greater than 7, and 19 had a VAS score of greater than 7 on any of the first 7 days after discharge. The mean number of oral narcotic tablets used per patient was 10.8 in the first week. Although 33 patients had a temperature higher than normal sometime in the first postprocedural week, high temperature (>38.5 degrees C) occurred in only two patients. There were no differences detected in the measured parameters based on the type of embolic material used.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the reputation of UAE to the contrary, when current techniques are used, recovery after UAE for fibroids is relatively mild, with few instances of severe pain, high fever, or severe constitutional symptoms.
Department of Radiology, Georgetown University Hospital, 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007-2113, USA.
Jill
J
Bruno
Kathleen
K
Sterbis
Pamela
P
Flick
Michael
M
McCullough
Michelle
M
Cramp
Kerry
K
Murphy-Skrynarz
James B
JB
Spies
D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005780:Gelatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D018579:Patient Selection; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D014599:Uterus / Q000098:blood supply*
D000180:Acrylic Resins; C496735:trisacryl gelatin microspheres; D005780:Gelatin; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol