After the embolization, another arteriogram is performed to confirm the results. The skin puncture where the catheter was inserted is cleaned and covered with a bandage. Fibroid embolization usually requires a hospital stay of one night, although some women do go home the same day. About six to eight hours of bed rest is typical after the procedure. Pain-killing medications and drugs that control swelling typically are prescribed following the procedure to combat cramping, which is a common side effect.
Fever also is an occasional side effect, and is usually treated with acetaminophen.
Total recovery generally takes one to two weeks, but can take longer. While embolization to treat uterine fibroids has been performed for more than six years, embolization of arteries in the uterus is not new. The procedure has been used successfully by interventional radiologists in uterine arteries for more than 20 years to treat heavy bleeding after childbirth. Today, fibroid embolization is being performed at hospitals and medical centers across the country, in Canada and around the world. As of the end of 1998, about 1,500 to 2,000 fibroid embolization procedures had been done world-wide.