Thermomyolysis, Cryomyolysis, and Uterine Artery Embolization

Other laparoscopic techniques being studied include thermomyolysis, which delivers an electric current to a fibroid to destroy it, and cryomyolysis, which involves freezing the fibroid. For both procedures, a laparoscopy is performed and a probe that either heats or freezes the tissue is directly inserted into the targeted fibroid. These procedures are still being investigated for long-term outcomes and are not widely available.

Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control MedlinePlus: Uterine Fibroids National Institute of Child Health & Human Development: Uterine Fibroids Clinical Trials: Fibroids Fibroids Related Links Email this page Print this section

A newer minimally invasive procedure to treat fibroids, called uterine artery embolization, is a radiological alternative to surgery that involves placing a catheter into a leg artery and guiding the catheter via X-ray images to the arteries of the uterus. A solution containing grain-size polyvinyl particles is then injected into the tubing to deliver the particles directly to the major blood vessels that feed the fibroids to cut off the blood flow to these vessels. Women usually require only an overnight hospital stay and have a much shorter recuperation. A recent randomized study found that embolization improved the quality of life of fibroid sufferers as much as surgery. However, about 20 percent of those who had the less invasive technique wound up having to repeat the procedure or undergo surgery for persistent fibroids. In women close to the age of menopause, this procedure can lead to an absence of periods and loss of ovarian function. The safety of the procedure in women who later wish to become pregnant has not been demonstrated.