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Radiology, Inc. was recently named to the Radiology Business Journal's ranking of the 100 Largest Private Radiology Practices in the country ...
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We now offer Lung Cancer screenings.
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Dr. Patel received the Elkhart General Hospital 2011 Excellence Award ... read more
Dr. Patel accepted a 4-year commitment to be on the American College of Radiology (ACR) ... read more
Dr. Patel emphasizes Reducing Radiation Exposure from Medical X-Rays ... read more
Dr. Vanderveen received the 2011 Teacher of the Year Award ... read more
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Each year, hundreds of Michiana women undergo a hysterectomy, and about one-third of these major surgeries are performed because the patient is suffering from uterine fibroids.
"Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow in the muscle wall of the uterus. It's one of the most common health problems facing middle-aged women,". "We estimate that up to 40% of women aged 35 and older have uterine fibroids. Until recently, a complete hysterectomy has been the most common approach. Now there's a much less invasive alternative that's appropriate in many cases."
For the past year at Elkhart General, many patients with fibroids have been successfully treated with embolization, thus avoiding a hysterectomy. "Embolization involves cutting off the blood flow to the fibroid - effectively starving it - without harming the uterus. The procedure, developed in Europe in 1995, is not the treatment of choice at many leading U.S. hospitals."
The procedure involved guiding a tiny catheter toward the vessels that supply blood to the fibroid then releasing a liquid that flows toward the tumor. Particles in the liquid block the blood supply to the fibroid and starve it of oxygen.
Of the thousands of women in the country who have undergone the procedure, more than 90% have experienced a significant enough reduction in their symptoms that no further treatment was required.
Typically, a patient who undergoes fibroid embolization will spend one night in the hospital, go home the next day, and return to normal activity within another three to four days. It normally takes about six weeks to recover from a hysterectomy, so embolization offers a huge advantage to the patient, both in terms of reduced recovery time and reduced cost.
| It's important that a woman see her gynecologist if she believes she may be suffering from fibroids. "A routine pelvic exam can often verify the presence of fibroids. Once fibroids have been confirmed, it's highly likely that symptoms can be effectively eliminated with uterine-sparing embolization." |
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Typical Symptoms
- Heavy menstrual periods
- Prolonged bleeding
- Pelvic pain, pressure or heaviness
- Pain in the back or legs
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Pressure on the bladder or bowel
- An abnormal enlarged abdomen
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