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Your doctor is concerned that you may be suffering from a syndrome
called "chronic pelvic congestion" or "ovarian vein
congestion syndrome”.
Individuals who suffer from this syndrome have pelvic pain that
may be associated with standing, intercourse, menstrual cycle, and
vaginal dilated veins. Most women who develop this syndrome have
delivered children and it is thought that the veins draining the
ovaries are affected by pregnancy causing them to enlarge and become
tortuous and distended with blood. After pregnancy in some individuals
the veins do not shrink in size but remain enlarged contributing
to the "pelvic congestion syndrome".
The initial component of this procedure involves the insertion of
a small plastic catheter into the large vein in the groin. This
catheter insertion is performed with the assistance of local anesthetic
(freezing) and after the area has been prepared with a sterile solution
and application of sterile drapes. This small plastic catheter is
then manipulated into the veins that drain blood away from the ovaries
and x-ray "dye" (contrast) is injected into the veins
to determine if they are enlarged and abnormal.
If the veins are enlarged and tortuous we suggest blocking them
(embolization) by injecting small metallic coils into the veins
through the small plastic catheter in the ovarian vein.
You must stay in Saskatoon the evening following your procedure,
within a 15- minute drive of hospital Emergency Department.
The Saskatoon City Hospital Emergency Department closes at 8:30
pm. The Emergency Departments at St. Paul’s Hospital and Royal
University Hospital are open 24 hours a day. If all is well you
may return home the next day.
The Risks of Ovarian Vein Venography and Embolization Include
the Following:
- Bleeding at the catheter insertion site in the groin - This
is rare due to the slow flow and low blood pressure in the veins
in this region. We will not discharge you from the procedure room
unless we are confident there is no evidence of active bleeding.
- Discomfort - The implantation of the embolization coils may
cause minor flank and back discomfort that is easily managed with
simple pain relievers taken by mouth. If your discomfort is difficult
to tolerate, the nurses in the Day Surgery area will contact us
to prescribe stronger pain relief medications.
- Displacement of the embolization coils - Very rarely one of
the metallic coils implanted in the ovarian vein breaks free and
enters the central veins of the body. The blood flow in these
veins will result in this coil entering the veins of the lungs
and becoming lodged in this area. This is called a pulmonary embolism.
This happens very rarely.
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