Long-term outcomes and reinterventions following uterine artery embolization for the treatment of uterine leiomyomata.

Authors

Alexis M Medema, Robert J French, Andrea Gorodezky, Nicole C Zanolli, Brendan Cline, Waleska Pabon-Ramos, Jonathan G Martin

Published in

Current problems in diagnostic radiology. Sep 03, 2026. Epub Sep 03, 2026.

Abstract

Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a minimally invasive treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroids, but long-term data on subsequent reintervention and effects on ovarian function remain limited. This study quantifies the frequency and timing of gynecologic reintervention at five to thirteen years following UAE.
This is a single-institution retrospective cohort of 199 patients with MRI-confirmed symptomatic fibroids who underwent UAE between January 2013 and December 2018. Demographics, symptomology, procedural details, and follow-up data were collected by chart review. Cumulative procedural reintervention was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis with censoring at the date of last clinical contact. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate risk factors for requiring reintervention.
At least five-year follow-up information was available for 184 patients (92.5%). Of 175 survey respondents, 132 (75.4%) reported significant symptom improvement at least two years following embolization. Sixty-one patients (33.2%) required additional medical (32, 17.4%) and/or procedural (34, 18.5%) intervention, with hysterectomy the most common subsequent procedure (29, 15.8%). The Kaplan-Meier 10-year cumulative incidence of any secondary procedure was 19.4% (95% CI 13.1-25.3), with younger age at embolization significantly associated with reintervention (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.86-0.97, p = 0.003).
UAE provides durable symptom relief with a low periprocedural complication rate. Procedural reintervention is required in approximately one in five patients over a decade with no clear high-risk window but with younger age at embolization independently associated with reintervention.

PMID:
42728187
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.