In Reply to: Case 0498_10 --Superior hypogastric nerve block for pain management during fibroid embolization posted by Editor on March 31, 1998 at 14:49:02:
I have done almost 200 UAE procedures to date, and have used a pain-control regimen of IV narcotics and oral NSAIDS with great success. There are occasional patients (5-10%) who do have significant post-procedural pain, and I may consider this as an option for these women.
The amount of pain that women experience after UAE (as measured by PCA morphine use) is extrememly variable, and cannot be predicted from uterine size, visible myoma burden, or the amount of PVA used for the embolization. (Similarly, none of these factors is a predictor of uterine volume reduction either.) This makes evaluation of pain-control maneuvers difficult. It will be interesting to see how things go with more patients.