Favorable 5-year results for UAE.(News)

BETHESDA, MD. -- Follow-up data for women who underwent uterine artery embolization for the treatment of fibroids show that 73% still reported improved symptoms 5 years later.

Treatment failure was defined as hysterectomy, myomectomy, repeated embolization or failure of symptom control for two follow-up intervals. A total of 20% of 182 patients who completed 5-year follow-up had failed treatment or had fibroid recurrence.

In this group, 25 had undergone hysterectomies, 6 had undergone myomectomies, and 3 had undergone repeat embolizations. None of the hysterectomies were performed due to complications of embolization, and at least four were due to a condition other than recurrent fibroids.

"The women most likely to go on to subsequent intervention were those with single, very large fibroids," James Spies, M.D., the lead investigator, said in an interview. On the other hand, women with large numbers of smaller fibroids were less likely to fail.

The initial cohort included 200 women: 95% completed follow-up at 1 year, 80% at 2 years, 91% at 3 years, 89% at four years, and 91% at 5 years.

Three patients died during the 5-year follow-up--two from unrelated cancer and one from heart disease.

Dr. Spies, who is professor of radiology at Georgetown University, Washington, and his associates presented data on the 5-year follow-up in a poster presentation at an international congress on uterine leiomyoma research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.