Is an Intrauterine Device a Contraindication for Uterine Artery Embolization? A Study of 20 Patients

Received 26 June 2009; received in revised form 6 October 2009; accepted 20 October 2009. published online 24 December 2009.

The presence of an intrauterine device (IUD) has been traditionally considered a risk factor for postprocedural infection in patients undergoing uterine artery embolization (UAE). The authors retrospectively evaluated the occurrence of infectious complications following embolization in 20 women with IUDs. After a mean follow-up of 20.5 months, none of the patients developed an infectious complication. One patient required hysterectomy following embolization for persistent pain. Pathologic evaluation of the hysterectomy specimen demonstrated ischemia without evidence of inflammation. This experience suggests that the presence of an IUD might not be considered a contraindication for UAE.

Abbreviations: IUD, intrauterine device, IUAE, uterine artery embolization, IUFS-QOL, Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life

a Department of Radiology, St Elisabeth Ziekenhuis, Hilvarenbeekseweg 60, Tilbury 5022GC, the Netherlands

b Department of Gynaecology, St Elisabeth Ziekenhuis, Hilvarenbeekseweg 60, Tilbury 5022GC, the Netherlands

Address correspondence to A.J.S.

None of the authors have identified a conflict of interest.

PII: S1051-0443(09)01052-5

doi:10.1016/j.jvir.2009.10.016

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