Doctor Removes Uterine Fibroid Tumors Without Surgery
Uterine Fibroid Tumors Affect 80 Percent Of Woman
POSTED: 4:51 p.m. CDT August 27, 2003
UPDATED: 5:17 p.m. CDT August 27, 2003
HOUSTON -- A Houston doctor has a new way to remove a type of tumor that affects millions of women, News2Houston reported Wednesday.
As many as 80 percent of women have uterine fibroid tumors, which are benign tumors that form in the uterus, doctors said. That translates to more than 5 million women in the United States.
Until recently, the only way to find relief from painful symptoms was surgery. Approximately half of 600,000 women who have hysterectomies each year in the United States are having the operation because of uterine fibroid tumors.
Dr. John Fischer, a radiologist with St. Luke's Hospital, performs a new procedure, called uterine fibroid embolization, to remove them without an operation.
"We inject tiny particles into uterine arteries and cut off the blood supply to the fibroids, causing them to shrink and die," Fischer said.
Most women do not know they have fibroids until they have symptoms like pelvic pain and bleeding.
"I was having heavy bleeding every day," said Lutie Mora, a patient.
Mora's fibroids were growing in size and in number.
"It was becoming obvious to the doctors that I would have to have surgery," Mora said.
But Mora did not want a hysterectomy.
"Surgery like that, that takes so much of what makes a woman, is wrong to me," Mora said.
Fischer's procedure works like this: While the patient is awake, he inserts a catheter through the groin, guides it to the uterus and then delivers tiny sand-like spheres made of plastic. They clog the artery and cut off blood supply to the fibroids.
"Typically they shrink an average of 50 to 60 percent," Fischer said.
Mora said there was no pain, and within months her symptoms started to fade.
"My tumors have been shrinking to the point where my women's doctor couldn't even find them in the last exam," Mora said.
Doctors said there is a 90 percent success rate with the procedure and the infection rate is very low.
The best candidates are women who no longer want children since the method has not yet been approved in fertility.
For more information, call (877) 275-4833 or visit www.ask4ufe.com.
Copyright 2003 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
As many as 80 percent of women have uterine fibroid tumors, which are benign tumors that form in the uterus, doctors said. That translates to more than 5 million women in the United States.
Until recently, the only way to find relief from painful symptoms was surgery. Approximately half of 600,000 women who have hysterectomies each year in the United States are having the operation because of uterine fibroid tumors.
Dr. John Fischer, a radiologist with St. Luke's Hospital, performs a new procedure, called uterine fibroid embolization, to remove them without an operation.
"We inject tiny particles into uterine arteries and cut off the blood supply to the fibroids, causing them to shrink and die," Fischer said.
Most women do not know they have fibroids until they have symptoms like pelvic pain and bleeding.
"I was having heavy bleeding every day," said Lutie Mora, a patient.
Mora's fibroids were growing in size and in number.
"It was becoming obvious to the doctors that I would have to have surgery," Mora said.
But Mora did not want a hysterectomy.
"Surgery like that, that takes so much of what makes a woman, is wrong to me," Mora said.
Fischer's procedure works like this: While the patient is awake, he inserts a catheter through the groin, guides it to the uterus and then delivers tiny sand-like spheres made of plastic. They clog the artery and cut off blood supply to the fibroids.
"Typically they shrink an average of 50 to 60 percent," Fischer said.
Mora said there was no pain, and within months her symptoms started to fade.
"My tumors have been shrinking to the point where my women's doctor couldn't even find them in the last exam," Mora said.
Doctors said there is a 90 percent success rate with the procedure and the infection rate is very low.
The best candidates are women who no longer want children since the method has not yet been approved in fertility.
For more information, call (877) 275-4833 or visit www.ask4ufe.com.
Copyright 2003 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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