The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, efficacy and outcome of ethanol sclerotherapy for uterine myomata. This is a series of 20 patients (aged 20 to 40 years) with symptomatic uterine myomata submitted to ethanol sclerotherapy. The procedure was performed under sedation and guided by transvaginal ultrasound. The patients were followed clinically and ultrasonically (transvaginal sonography and color Doppler evaluation) one month and six months after treatment. The frequency of symptoms, intratumoral color flow mapping and tumoral size were analyzed. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were used at a 5% level of significance. Postprocedure complications were not observed. A significant relief of dysmenorrhea was observed with one and six months and the frequency of pelvic pain and menorrhagia was significantly reduced with six months. A significant reduction of tumoral size was observed, from 89,4 cm3 (inicial volume) to 73,5 cm3 e 69,9 cm3 (one and six months, respectively). The frequency of intratumoral high blood flow was 80% before and 15% and 20% one and six months after the procedure (p=0,0001). It can be concluded that these preliminary results indicate that transvaginal ultrasound-guided ethanol sclerotherapy can be an effective treatment for uterine myomas when conservative management is preferable. Patient satisfaction was high and the procedure might become an accepted option for the treatment of uterine myomata.
Uterine Myoma; Leiomyomata; Conservative management; Ethanol; Sclerotherapy
