Violetta’s Fibroids Treatment with Dr. Paul Crowe
Dr. Paul Crowe, Consultant Interventional Radiologist, helps thousands of patients across London and the Midlands who are experiencing symptoms related to fibroids.
Uterine fibroids are abnormal growths in the muscle wall of the uterus which can cause heavy periods and abdominal pain. Fibroids are a very common gynaecological issue for women and can be treated with a minimally invasive procedure: Uterine Artery Embolisation.
Read about Violetta’s experience with heavy periods and the treatments she tried before being referred to Dr. Paul Crowe for fibroid treatment.
Violetta’s Story
50-year-old Violetta experienced heavy periods for months. Causing her to end up in A&E twice due to the amount of blood she lost and was anaemic. Due to her age, it was presumed she was experiencing perimenopause and this was causing her symptoms. She was prescribed HRT which helped for a while, but her heavy periods started again.
Violetta took matters into her own hands and using health insurance saw a private gynaecologist. She had an MRI scan which showed the cause of bleeding. It wasn’t perimenopause like first thought, but a large fibroid almost eight centimetres in diameter.
Due to her severe symptoms, Violetta needed treatment that would shrink her fibroid. Her gynaecologist offered a hysterectomy or Uterine Artery Embolisation (UAE). Violetta chose UAE and was referred to Dr. Crowe.
Treatment with Dr. Paul Crowe
Uterine Artery Embolisation (UAE) is a minimally invasive procedure that Dr. Paul Crowe performs in a number of hospitals, including The Harborne Hospital in Birmingham. UAE blocks the arteries which provide the fibroid with blood, in turn shrinking the growth. Violetta had the procedure under local anaesthetic, so she was awake the whole time and even watched Dr. Crowe was doing it on a screen. The treatment required an overnight stay in hospital before she returned home.
“After two or three months, I was feeling myself again. My periods got lighter and lighter, and now my iron levels are perfectly fine.”
Six months on from the UAE, Violetta’s fibroid has halved and her symptoms have stopped.
Read Violetta’s full story on the Harborne Hospital website.
Dr. Crowe performs diagnostic ultrasound and MRI scans.
World Interventional Radiology Day January 16th
On January 16th 1964 Dr. Charles Dotter performed the first x-ray guided angioplasty procedure, saving a patient from amputation and signalling the birth of the medical specialty that is now interventional radiology.
Interventional radiology (IR) is a medical specialty that uses medical imaging—such as X-rays, ultrasound, CT scans, and MRI—to guide minimally invasive procedures which in many cases can replace traditional open surgery.
Interventional radiology
Interventional radiology is used to manage a wide range of conditions, including:
- blocked arteries
- cancerous tumours
- internal bleeding
- kidney and liver disease
- uterine fibroids
- prostate disease
- stroke
Because procedures are minimally invasive, patients typically experience less pain, minimal scarring, and shorter recovery times. Interventional radiology procedures are usually performed with local anaesthesia or mild sedation, making them safer for patients who may not tolerate general anaesthesia well.
Interventional radiology offers cost-effective, safe, and patient-centred treatment options across an array of conditions but is under-recognised.
World Interventional Radiology Day for the unsung heroes of the hospital who you may not meet until you need them!
