title: Characteristics of vascular supply to uterine leiomyoma: an analysis of digital subtraction angiography imaging in 518 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the characteristics of the vascular supply to uterine leiomyomas based on digital subtraction angiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  The feeding artery, vascularity of uterine leiomyoma and visualisation of the ovarian vessel network were studied in 518 patients undergoing uterine artery embolisation (UAE). Mean patient age was 38.97 ± 6.09 years (range, 22-54 years). The types of vascular supply were analysed by the vascular supply to the leimyoma and grades of vascularity by the degree of enhancement of the leimyoma compared with the myometrium.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The blood supply of leiomyomas could not be classified in 3.28 % of patients. Blood was supplied solely by the uterine artery in 88.61 % of leiomyomas, 8.11 % of leiomyomas were partially fed by an ovarian artery, and 0.39 % by it exclusively. Leiomyoma blood supply was classified as unilateral predominant, bilateral balanced, single unilateral uterine artery and single ovarian artery in 36.48, 49.23, 10.62 and 0.39 % of cases respectively. Leiomyoma vascularity was classified as extremely hypervascular (8.69 %), hypervascular (46.14 %), isovascular (33.39 %) and hypovascular (11.78 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Uterine leiomyomas supplied by both uterine arteries and with rich blood flow were seen in approximately 50 % of patients. However, close attention also should be given to the collateral circulation during UAE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nan Fang Hospital of Southern Medical University, No. 1838, Guangzhou Avenue, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chun-Lin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yu-Jing
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jiang-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Bei-Lan
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi-Xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Chuan-Jia
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult