Small bowel obstruction due to adhesive disease observed after uterine fibroid embolization.

Abstract

After uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), the development of intra-abdominal adhesions, especially those involving the bowel, is a very rare complication. Seven months after UFE, a patient had a complete small bowel obstruction develop that was caused by an adhesive band between the posterior fibroid and cul-de-sac. She underwent an exploratory laparotomy, lysis of adhesion, and myomectomy. No bowel resection was needed. Inflammation after UFE may cause the development of intraperitoneal adhesions. We report an unanticipated case of a complete small bowel obstruction caused by an adhesion observed after UFE.