In Reply to: Re: Case 797_10 -- Ovarian vein embolization posted by Rob Kirsch on July 20, 1997 at 12:27:44:
We clearly should be doing more of these, but it is difficult to get the referrals, as there is a lot of skepticism in the OB-Gyn community. There are one or two papers in our literature describing good results with these (which I can dig up if you give me a call-I am not in my office at the moment), though not as good as varicoceles because of the multifactorial nature of chronic pelvic pain. This is an area where a good prospective randomized trial would help immensely.
I am not at all convinced that you need to embolize both sides, just as you don't with males unless there is a right-sided lesion. The left gonadal vein anatomy predisposes to reflux and congestion while the right does not in most people. This is something we are going to have to work out.