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Choosing a Fibroid Embolization Center

    Contact our trusted specialist today

    Virtual remote appointments are available. Contact us for a video telehealth evaluation.

    All appointments conducted by our Board Certified doctor and not assistants or non-physician providers.

    Choosing a Uterine Fibroid Embolization Center

    This is just as important as discovering the procedure itself!

    If you live in a metropolitan area you have many options, including national corporate medical centers, hospitals, multi-specialty clinics, and a dedicated embolization center like ours.

    Briefly, uterine artery embolization is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that is highly effective for treating uterine fibroids and uterine adenomyosis while preserving the uterus. So where should you book your procedure? 

    before and after fibroid treatment los angeles

    Large corporate businesses tend to have offices throughout the nation. This is great if you have limited access to a fibroid specialist, but national corporate medical centers are owned and managed by business executives and other shareholders who value profits more than patient care. Patients often feel rushed and could be neglected before, during, and after the treatment.

    A hospital is another option. In fact, interventional radiologists learned fibroid embolization in the hospital setting, also known as an academic teaching center. While this maybe a good option, the downside is that the focus of hospitals is to provide emergency and urgent care, and often have daily rotations of doctors and nurses in training. Not to mention very sick patients that you will be exposed to during your stay. Furthermore, UFE is one of the least performed procedures by interventional radiologists in hospitals. This is due to the fact that their days in the hospital are usually filled with other types of urgent and emergency cases, which can cause delays and disruptions.

    A multi-specialty clinic employs physicians, nurses, and support staff with different areas of expertise and appears to be an attractive option. However, profit-sharing distributions are weighted to favor specialties with higher profits, which encourages underperforming doctors to boost patient volume at the expense of patient care.

    Why California Vascular & Interventional?

    At CVI, we provide devoted and specialized care for treating uterine fibroids. All clinical decisions are centered on the patient because CVI is owned and controlled by our physician, who is an embolization expert. The doctor has the freedom to spend as much time as needed for patient consultations and medical procedures. Clinical decisions are made based on what is best for you and your treatment, and not influenced by the interests of a profit-driven hedge fund company. The staff are highly trained and dedicated to the patient experience. This allows us to provide the best care and experience for our patients.

    Women continue to be thrilled with the totality of their care experience facilitated by our patient-centered approach. Read more about our practice here.

    Patient Centered. Dedicated. Comprehensive.

    Contact us today to find out if you are candidate for fibroid embolization. You can obtain a consultation virtually via a video telehealth platform or meet our doctor in person at one of our office locations in Los Angeles or Southern California.

    Choosing a Uterine Fibroid Embolization Center is just as important as discovering the procedure itself!

    If you live in a metropolitan area, you will have your choice of large national corporate businesses, hospitals, academic teaching centers, multispecialty offices and dedicated interventional centers like ours.

    Large corporate business tend to have offices throughout the nation. This is great if you have limited access to a fibroid specialist but rest assure that a lot of national practices are run like a business and every minute is a cost.

    Interventional Radiologists trained and learned fibroid embolization in the hospital setting, also known as an academic teaching center. While this is still a good option, the downside is that most hospitals can have rotating and per diem staff and nurses. Having a dedicated staff who has continuous familiarity with the procedure is paramount for good patient experience. Additionally, fibroid embolization is the least common procedure performed in the hospital as the days are usually filled with other types of urgent and emergent cases, which can cause delays and disruptions.

    A multispecialty office is a practice where different types of specialists in one place, and together they control and make decisions regarding the direction of the practice and thus the experience of the patient. While this sounds ground, there cam be conflicting interests and financial issues prohibiting delivering the best experience for patients. Decisions can be made based on the bottom line as productivity of different specialists is often compared to encourage more output.

    At CVI, what makes us different is that we are a physician owned and controlled. We are a dedicated practice in providing image-guided interventional treatments. The direction of the practice is curated based on patient and staff experience and feedback. Clinical decisions are made based on what is best for you and your treatment, and not confounded by interest of a business manager or hedge fund company looking to make a profit. The staff is highly trained in each particular treatment and dedicated to providing the personalized care that each patient requires. Neither consultations nor procedures are rushed. The doctor has the freedom to spend as much time as required with each patient, a luxury essentially non-existent in other corporate medical practices.  The interest of our practice and physician is aligned with those of the patient, providing the best care and experience possible.

    Contact CVI today to find out if you are candidate for fibroid embolization.

    UFE UAE uterine fibroid doctor socal los angeles

    Contact us for a custom treatment plan

      Scars: UFE vs Myomectomy vs Hysterectomy

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        Virtual remote appointments are available. Contact us for a video telehealth evaluation.

        All appointments conducted by our Board Certified doctor and not assistants or non-physician providers.

        Scar Specialist

        Myomectomy vs Hysterectomy vs Fibroid Embolization Scars

        There are different treatment options for fibroids, surgical options require larger incisions and carry different risks than fibroid embolization. Below is a brief description of myomectomy surgery, hysterectomy surgery and fibroid embolization.

        Myomectomy

        Myomectomy is the surgical removal of one or more fibroids and it can be quite complex. Usually there are more fibroids than can be safely removed through this surgery and so fibroids can be left behind. As a results, these patients unfortunately frequently undergo multiple procedures.

        Myomectomy is done in the hospital under general anesthesia. This can be performed through a large abdominal incision, an open myomectomy, or through multiple smaller incisions as a laparoscopic myomectomy. Open surgery involves a single 4 inch incision also known as the “bikini cut” and the laparoscopic approach would require and leave behind several 1 cm incision scars.1

        Hysterectomy

        A hysterectomy is a major surgical procedure performed in the hospital or surgery center under general anesthesia. The doctor may also remove the fallopian tubes, ovaries and/or the cervix during the same surgery.

        This surgery can be performed as an open hysterectomy, vaginal hysterectomy, and a number of laparoscopic techniques. An open method leaves a 4 inch incision scar in the lower abdomen, and takes the longest time for recovery. A laparoscopic hysterectomy involves several 1 cm incisions and requires inflating the abdomen with carbon dioxide so that the uterus can be seen with a camera during the removal. Large fibroids or a big uterus cannot be removed this way and will be done by open hysterectomy.2

        The disadvantages of abdominal hysterectomy are that due to the invasiveness of the procedure the surgery requires general anesthesia, and has risk factors associated with abdominal surgery such as blood loss, pain and infection, and longer recovery. The hospital stay can last from 1-3 days and recovery time is generally 2-6 weeks.

        Uterine Fibroid Embolization

        UFE is not a surgical operation. Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that is highly effective for treating uterine fibroids and adenomyosis while preserving the uterus. Under conscious sedation, UFE begins with a single nick in the arm or groin about 0.2 cm long. A slim, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted and guided to the uterine arteries. Tiny particles the size of sand are then placed through the catheter, which pass into the vessels that supply fibroids blocking the blood flow.

        Our specialist is an embolization expert and has successfully performed numerous complex embolizations and over 5,000 image guided procedures. In addition, he has extensive experience in performing this procedure through the arm, which patients love as it is more comfortable and preserves modesty.

        How does uterine fibroid embolization compare?

        Lower Risks: UFE is less invasive. Unlike surgery, there is virtually no blood loss during the UFE procedure. Studies show the rate of complications after UFE is significantly lower than that related to surgery.3

        Effective: UFE is just as safe and equally effective. A study that compared 149 UFE and 60 myomectomy patients and found similar improvements in symptoms following treatment. Nearly 90% of women report that they are satisfied with the UFE procedure or remain free of fibroid symptoms 2 years after and a similar percentage of women report that they are still happy with their results 5 years after treatment.4 In comparison, rate of fibroid recurrence five years post-myomectomy can be up to 62.1%.3 UFE was also found to have required fewer days off work (10 versus 37 days) and fewer complications (22% vs 40%).5

        Shorter Recovery: UFE uses image-guidance and not surgery. Abdominal myomectomy requires hospitalization and up to 6-8 week recovery period. After the UFE procedure you go home the same day with just a Band-Aid. Recovery time differs but in general lasts less than a week after UFE.

        Make sure you understand your options and the surgical risks before agreeing to any procedure. Our vascular embolization expert sees patients in person and via virtual telehealth throughout California including Los Angeles, Inland Empire, San Diego and Orange County.

        Patient Centered. Dedicated. Comprehensive.

        References:

        1. Rakotomahenina, H., Rajaonarison, J., Wong, L., & Brun, J.-L. (2017). Myomectomy: technique and current indications. Minerva Ginecologica, 69(4), 357–369.
        2. Shiber, L.-D. J., & Pasic, R. (2018). Choosing the Correct Hysterectomy Technique. In I. Alkatout & L. Mettler (Eds.), Hysterectomy: A Comprehensive Surgical Approach (pp. 143–147). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
        3. Memtsa, M., & Homer, H. (2012). Complications associated with uterine artery embolization for fibroids. Obstet Gynecol Int. 2012: 290542.
        4. Gupta JK, Sinha A, Lumsden MA, Hickey M. Uterine artery embolization for symptomatic uterine fibroids. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD005073.
        5. Goodwin SC, Bradley LD, Lipman JC. UAE versus Myomectomy Study Group. Uterine artery embolisation versus myomectomy: a multicenter comparative study. Fertil Steril 2006;85:14–21

        Contact California Vascular & Interventional today to find out if you are candidate for uterine fibroid embolization.

        Contact us for a custom treatment plan

          Who Performs Uterine Fibroid Embolization? (UFE)

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            Virtual remote appointments are available. Contact us for a video telehealth evaluation.

            All appointments conducted by our Board Certified doctor and not assistants or non-physician providers.

            Who performs uterine fibroid embolization (UFE)?

            Uterine fibroid embolization is performed by a qualified Vascular and Interventional Radiologists, also referred to as IR, who train and specialize in minimally invasive image-guided procedures. A vascular and interventional radiology fellowship is the only medical specialty that formally trains physicians to become an embolization expert. See the video at the end of this page to learn more.

            How long has fibroid embolization been performed by IR?

            For over 20 years, Interventional Radiologists have performed uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), which provides women a non-surgical option to treat fibroids. This uterus saving procedure is only taught in an interventional radiology specialty fellowship, in addition to other types of embolization procedures. Embolization requires a thorough understanding and experience with different types of catheters, wires, and embolization materials to provide an effective and safe outcome.

            Why California Vascular & Interventional?

            Our Vascular and Interventional Radiologist at CVI is dedicated, highly qualified and has successfully performed numerous fibroid embolization procedures. In addition to fibroids, he has extensive experience in other types of embolization procedures including the liver, spleen, bowel, musculoskeletal, heart, lungs, prostate, and vascular diseases. Read here for more about our practice.

            Contact us today to find out if you are candidate for fibroid embolization. You can obtain a consultation virtually via a video telehealth platform or meet our doctor in person at one of our office locations in Los Angeles or Southern California.

            Contact us for a custom treatment plan

              Does size matter? Prostate Artery Embolization (PAE)

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                Virtual remote appointments are available. Contact us for a video telehealth evaluation.

                All appointments conducted by our Board Certified doctor and not assistants or non-physician providers.

                For prostate artery embolization (PAE), size does matter! In fact, smaller is better! But what are we talking about here?

                We are talking about the size of the beads! That’s right. The embolization beads that are inserted into the prostatic artery to block its blood flow. Although the exact size is still up for debate, most studies recommend smaller beads than typically used for other types of embolization.

                embozene pae prostate artery embolization bph

                Prostate artery embolization, also known as PAE, is a non-surgical, outpatient procedure that treats an enlarged prostate by blocking its blood flow. By doing so, it shrinks the prostate. This condition of an enlarged prostate is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). There are minimal risks in experienced hands. Read more about this procedure here. 

                The PAE procedure is performed by our Interventional Radiologist who is very experienced and has performed numerous embolizations.  

                An Interventional Radiologist is a physician is sub-specialized in image-guided procedures that use X-rays, tiny catheters and other microtools.

                There are many types of products used in embolization. These include coils (metallic springs), medical-grade glues, spherical beads, non-spherical particles, plugs and foam. An experienced vascular and interventional radiologist understands these products, and can choose the correct one(s) to use in a given application.

                During a PAE procedure, a tiny catheter is advanced into the artery that supplies blood to the prostate. Small beads are then inserted into the artery until there is complete blockage of blood flow.

                Our practice uses Embozene microspheres. While there are other cheaper products, at CVI we do not cut corners and believe in using the best products for our patients. This product is favorable, as the beads are more accurately sized than others, which allows for consistent results. In 2018, the FDA approved the use of Embozene microspheres in the prostate artery embolization (PAE) procedure to treat symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

                In addition, prostate embolizations at CVI are performed by two attending Interventional Radiologists. We are the only center in the country that performs the PAE procedure with two highly trained physicians.

                embozene pae prostate artery embolization bph

                Contact CVI today to see if you are a candidate for Prostate Artery Embolization (PAE).

                Contact us for a custom treatment plan

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