Evaluation of Pain After Uterine Artery Embolization

Abstract

Objective: In this study our aim was to determine the severity of post procedure pain associated with uterine artery embolization (UAE). Study Design: Twenty-one women with symptomatic uterine fibroid were recruited for the study. The procedure was performed in the angiography unit under conscious sedation. All patients received prophylactic intravenous antibiotics and analgesic, ibuprofen 600 mg. At the completion of the procedure, all patients were given ibuprofen 600 mg orally every six hours. The patients were discharged with oral ibuprofen (600 mg 4 times daily). The main outcome measure was severity of pain. The instrument for evaluation of pain was visual analog scale. The measurements were taken at every hour. Results: Twenty-one procedures were performed. The mean age was 43.04±4.21 years (range 34-52) and median parity was 4 (0-6). The mean post procedure pain scores after 1, 2 and 3 hours were 3.33±2.00, 4.57±1.74, 4.95±1.71 respectively. After the completion of embolization, it was found that pain appeared to peak in the initial 3-4 post-embolization hours, reached a plateau and then declined by 9 hours. Conclusion: There is an increased need for post procedural pain control for UAE patients, especially in the first 6 hours after the procedure.