Is this procedure still considered experimental for insurance purposes. Dear Pat, thank you for your question. There is no absolute septal thickness for which septal myomectomy surgery is indicated, although the septum generally is at least 2 cm thick when this surgery is done.
Patient symptoms are the most important factor in determining when to do surgery.
Also, the pressure gradients measured within the heart with an echocardiogram give important information towards making a decision about surgery. Finally, the response to medications is another important factor to consider. Alcohol septal ablation is still an experimental procedure at this point and is not proven and accepted yet. Thus, patients who are treated with this procedure are enrolled in research protocols. We have performed a number of these procedures at Cleveland Clinic and we've had mixed results.