Influence of Previous Abdominal and Pelvic Surgeries on Uterine Artery Embolization

Objective: To assess the influence of previous abdominal and pelvic surgeries on uterine artery embolization (UAE). We hypothesize that the formation of postoperative adhesions can impose technical difficulties for UAE, resulting in longer fluoroscopy time and less reduction of uterus and largest tumor volumes after the procedure. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 122 consecutive patients who underwent uterine artery embolization for the treatment of uterine fibroids in our department. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of previous abdominal or pelvic surgery. Fluoroscopy time, change in symptoms, and volume variation of uterus and largest tumor were compared between groups. Results: Forty-seven patients underwent abdominopelvic surgery before UAE (Group 1) and 75 did not (Group 2). Median (IQR) fluoroscopy time was 22 minutes (IQR: 18 - 26.4) for Group 1, and 23.3 minutes (IQR: 19.05 - 28.25) for Group 2. No difference was found between the groups (P = 0.17). Regarding the results after UAE, neither the change in symptoms (P = 0.30) nor the volume variation for uterus (P = 0.41) and largest fibroid (P = 0.18) showed significant difference. Conclusions: In this study, previous abdominopelvic surgeries had no significant influence on fluoroscopy time, and overall outcomes of uterine artery embolization.