Author(s)

Richard A. Reed, Bruce McLucas

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Department of Radiology, Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, USA.

Some patients who undergo Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) for symptomatic leiomyomata have collateral ovarian artery supply to the uterus. This typically occurs when the ipsilateral uterine artery is small or absent, and the ovarian artery supply to the uterus can lead to UAE failure. The authors present a case of a woman treated with UAE who had an atretic right uterine artery and an enlarged right ovarian artery supplying the fibroids. The ovarian artery arose from the proximal internal iliac artery. This rare variant vessel was embolized leading to eradication of the patient’s symptoms. The success of this case highlights the need to evaluate for possible variant ovarian artery supply and to embolize these vessels in an attempt to prevent UAE failure.

Uterine Artery Embolization; Fibroids; Minimally Invasive

R. Reed and B. McLucas, "Aberrant Right Ovarian Artery from Proximal Internal Iliac Artery in Uterine Artery Embolization Patient," Open Journal of Radiology, Vol. 2 No. 4, 2012, pp. 117-119. doi: 10.4236/ojrad.2012.24021.