Tips And Guides

Pedunculated fibroids are non-cancerous uterine growths attached to the uterine wall by a peduncle, a stalk-like growth. Those that grow inside the uterus are known as pedunculated submucosal fibroids, and those that develop outside the uterus are known as subserous pedunculated fibroids.

They even grow big. Last year, I have seen the biggest fibroid case, reported in the East African Medical Journal. A 37 year old woman had an abdominal inflammation due to the large growth of this fibroid. Her surgeons diagnosed nearly 16 centimeters long and one and half a kilogram weighed fibroid.

This woman was fortunate to experience no symptoms beyond the swelling, but others are not as lucky when it comes to their experiences with pedunculated fibroids.

Occasionally pedunculated submucosal fibroids can protrude into the vaginal canal, bringing pain during sexual intercourse. The American University of Beirut Medical Center has reported two women that had prolapsed pedunculated submucosal fibroids, one of these patients fibroids had 12 centimetres of the fibroid prolapsed into the vaginal canal while the rest of it remained in the uterus.

When the stalk gets distorted it causes severe pain but very few faces this problem. It is very risk if the fibroid in the stalk grows.

These fibroids comprise uterine cramps and compressed sensation of uterus and other organs.

Yet another possible symptom brought on by pedunculated submucosal fibroids is bleeding between periods. This bleeding can range from light spotting, to constant bleeding very similar to that of a light period. Those who have constant bleeding report that the intensity of the bleeding becomes heavier at the arrival of their time of the month.

Often when the pedunculated fibroid has become severely twisted it will require surgical intervention. This occurs because the pain level becomes so great to the woman experiencing it that they will do anything to stop it.

A twisted peduncle can also create a blockage in the veins that deliver blood and nutrients to the growth. When the blood and nutrients are cut off, the fibroid begins to weaken. As the fibroid deteriorates, the pain increases greatly, as does the risk of infection.

Uterine Artery Embolization is a procedure often recommended whenever the peduncle reaches a width of 2 centimetres or more. This procedure serves the purpose of blocking the blood supply to the fibroids, thus impeding growth and causing them to decrease in size and eventually die. The University of Toronto, however, has reported that pedunculated subserousal fibroids were more likely to be effected by Uterine Artery Embolization than other types of fibroids.

The doctors in Bretonneau hospital of France suggests women to repeat Uterine Artery Embolization, as its diagnosed that 10% of women has re-growth of these fibroids after 2 years.

Another common treatment for pedunculated fibroids is Myomectomy. A procedure in which the fibroid is surgically removed and the uterus repaired by the surgeon. This surgery does not, however, have a 100% success rate as Doctors at the University of South Dakota have reported a case where they attempted a myomectomy on a patient. The woman had experienced a ruptured blood vessel in a large pedunculated fibroid while giving birth. The attempted myomectomy was unsuccessful, and they were forced to perform an emergency hysterectomy instead.

Because the success rate for myomectomies is not 100%, women are usually asked to sign a waiver that specifies a hysterectomy if the surgery is not successful. Some women have gone in for one procedure and awakened after having two.