Fibroid Tumors

Fibroid tumors are benign tumors that grow on or within the uterus. Fibroids are the most common indication for hysterectomy in the United States. Studies show that twenty to fifty percent of women have fibroids.

Fibroids are made from firm solid fibrous tissue growing in whorls and surrounded by a capsule that makes removal of the tumors fairly routine until the tumors have grown very large. Removal can become difficult if the tumors degenerate or are very vascular.

Most Fibroid Tumors are detected by pelvic examination, and confirmed by ultrasound. Fibroids often grow to the size of a grapefruit while some grow to be only a few centimeters in diameter. Some small fibroids do not cause any damage to the uterus or surrounding organs, however it all depends on location and numbers of the fibroids.

Causes and Symptoms of Fibroid Tumors: Uterine fibroids are caused by a mutation of the gene that controls smooth muscle development of the uterus. Symptoms of fibroid tumors vary depending on where in the uterus they are growing. The most painful symptoms of fibroids occur when they are growing beneath the lining of the uterus. These fibroids can cause excessive bleeding, anemia and extreme pain. Most fibroids can be removed without the need for a hysterectomy.

Most women undergo surgery for fibroid tumors because of the pain and bleeding they experience. Many women panic when fibroids cause them to bleed abnormally. This fear and panic is often what leads them accept hysterectomy as a solution.

Fibroid tumors can also cause abdominal pain when they begin to degenerate within the uterus. This usually happens when fibroids grow so large that they begin to lose their blood supply. The loss of blood flow to the center of the fibroids translates itself as pain Degenerating Uterine Myomas can cause severe inflammation and precipitate emergency major surgery. Uterine Fibroid Tumors are extremely common among women in the United States. Studies show that many women who have fibroid tumors in their uterus are not even aware of it. Fibroid tumors grow in and around various areas of the uterus. They vary in shape and size. Usually complications arise such as bleeding and pelvic pain due to fibroid tumors that grow underneath the lining of the uterus.

Most women do not experience any symptoms of fibroid tumors unless they have grown extremely large. If a woman has a large uterine fibroid tumor then her abdomen may begin to have a pregnant appearance. Tumors that grow inside the muscle wall of the uterus tend to cause pain and vaginal bleeding. Many women who experience abnormally heavy menstrual flow and very bad menstrual cramps may also have fibroid tumors growing under the lining of their uterus.

Many women panic when they hear that they have Uterine Fibroid Tumors. Many women associate the word tumor with cancer, however the majority of fibroid tumors are not cancerous. The chance of a fibroid tumor being cancerous is less than one in a thousand. Most fibroid tumors can be left alone to be monitored every few months. Many of them shrink or disappear on their own.

Uterine Fibroid Tumors and Pregnancy

Fibroids do have a tendency to grow larger during pregnancy due to the extra hormones being produced. Sometimes degenerating fibroids can cause the uterus to contract, resulting in early childbirth. The complications that a woman may experience during pregnancy depend on the size of the tumor and where it is located in the uterus. Many women have been known to carry babies to term with no complications at all, however if the fibroids impact on the cavity of the Uterus they can obstruct the birth, negatively affect the placenta and often lead to prematurity.

Fibroid Tumor Treatments

Myomectomy
The gold standard for removing Uterine fibroids is abdominal myomectomy. Modern Gynecologists have realized that performing minimally invasive surgery such as laparoscopic myomectomy benefits their patients and is more than worth the physician’s extra efforts .Minimally invasive surgery allows more rapid healing ,less blood loss and allows patents to return to their routines much quicker and therefore promotes well being .

Myolysis
Myolysis is a fairly new surgical procedure used to shrink uterine fibroid tumors. The procedure coagulates the blood vessels serving the tumor cutting off its blood supply. The procedure is performed using specially designed 5 cm bipolar needles that are placed into the uterus during a laparoscopic surgery. The procedure is designed to treat moderate sized myomas less than 10 cm. Pre treatment is recommended for ten to twelve weeks using a GnRh agonist to preshrink the tumor. These monthly injections cause the myomas to shrink by reducing estrogen levels. Once the procedure is performed it is expected that tumors will be permanently reduced in size by more that fifty percent.

Side Effects of Myolysis

Myolysis has very little side effects on the body, however most doctors will not perform the surgery on women who wish to become pregnant later on. There have been incidences of uterine rupture when women have attempted to carry babies to term after the operation. Although the procedure does not affect women's fertility, pregnancy is not advisable after the operation.Uterine rupture has also occurred after myomectomy but it is rare. Myomectomy is still the gold standard for removal of fibroids in women desiring pregnancy.

This operation is one of the many surgical procedures that serve as alternatives to partial or total hysterectomies. The operation is particularly successful on women who are past their childbearing years. Preservation of the uterus and ovaries can prevent multiple complications. This operation is ideal for women who have already had their children, but are not ready to lose their pelvic organs.

Uterine Artery Embolization

Uterine Artery Embolization is a technique performed by interventional Radiologists. A puncture is made in the Femoral Artery near the groin and a catheter is placed and threaded into the Aorta and then back down into the Uterine Artery. Millions of microscopic plastic particles are placed into the Artery to cause blockage and thereby subsequent fibroid death. The problem is that if you Embolize a very large fibroid, the tissue death causes necroses of the muscle and severe pain for as long as a month. In addition there are a myriad of potential complications, including improper placement of the embolization catheter. Lastly about 10% of patients have a communication between the Uteine Artery and the Ovary. So post procedure menopause is a real possibility.