Pelvic Congestion Syndrome Embolization in Mobile, AL

A common problem among women, chronic pelvic pain can stem from a number of different causes. One such cause is Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS). If you’ve been diagnosed with PCS in the Mobile area, the board-certified interventional radiologists with Alabama Coastal Radiology may be able to help. Contact the office nearest you today to schedule an appointment. We have offices in Mobile, Saraland, Fairhope, Daphne, and Bay Minette, AL.

What Is Pelvic Congestion Syndrome?

If you’re experiencing chronic pain in your pelvic area, it can be due to an issue with your veins. Due to a number of different factors, the veins in a woman’s lower abdomen may not function as well as they should. When this happens, veins in the pelvis can enlarge and change shape, very similar to varicose veins. PCS often occurs in women who have recently experienced pregnancy and can become worse with each pregnancy after.

Symptoms of PCS

The most obvious symptom of PCS is pain in the pelvic region that lasts for more than a few months. This classifies the pain as chronic. In addition, you may experience the following:

• Dull pain while standing or sitting in your lower back and abdomen.
• Irritable bowel and/or bladder.
• Bulging veins in the pelvic region.
• Increasing pain while standing, walking, and having sex.
• Increased pain during periods.
• The sudden urge to urinate at random times.

Although you may experience some or all of these symptoms, there’s a chance that you will not. Please schedule an appointment with your doctor if you are experiencing any pain that could be related to PCS.

Causes and Diagnosis of PCS

If your doctor feels that you are experiencing symptoms of PCS, they will then do a number of tests to rule out any causes. These tests can include urine tests, blood tests, ultrasounds, x-rays, CT scans, pelvic venography, and more based on your health. Because pelvic pain is not always easy to diagnose, it’s important to go through these tests to confirm the diagnosis and get you on the path to recovery.

While the majority of women diagnosed are between the ages of 20-45, PCS can affect any age of woman. There is no root cause of PCS, but there are many things that can contribute, including:

• Hormonal abnormalities
• Multiple previous pregnancies
• Weight gain
• Polycystic ovaries

Treatment of PCS

If you are diagnosed with PCS, your treatment options will be discussed up front with you by an interventional radiologist at Alabama Coastal Radiology. The most common treatment option is ovarian vein embolization, which can help alleviate symptoms and pain.

What Happens During an Ovarian Vein Embolization?

The goal of this treatment is to close off any faulty veins near the pelvis in order to prevent them from filling with blood and becoming enlarged.

Your interventional radiologist is able to visualize the location of the catheter using X-ray imaging and contrast dye. The dye helps to highlight veins within the pelvis, particularly those that are not functioning as they should be. At the same time, the X-ray is able to detect the catheter and its location within the pelvis.

Once in proper position, an embolic agent is injected through the catheter into the affected veins to seal them off. No stitches are needed after the catheter is removed, and so patients can often return home the same day as their procedure is performed so long as there are no unforeseen complications during the ovarian vein embolization.

The Benefits of Ovarian Vein Embolization

Along with having a short recovery time, there are also many other benefits that come along with undergoing an ovarian vein embolization, including:

• Lowered risk of bleeding and other complications
• A worldwide success rate of 85%
• Being much less invasive than traditional procedures