Uterine arteriovenous fistula

Vaginal bleeding that occurs outside of the menstrual period is a scary thing for many women. Uterine arteriovenous fistula is one of the causes of vaginal bleeding. This disease must be taken seriously by us, because sometimes in severe cases the uterus must be removed, which is very harmful to women's bodies. If we can understand the cause of the disease, we can better prevent the disease. Let's learn about the cause of uterine arteriovenous fistula.

Causes of uterine arteriovenous fistula

Congenital uterine arteriovenous fistula

Congenital uterine arteriovenous fistula is caused by abnormal development or cessation of development of the primitive vascular structure during the embryonic period. It often has multiple blood vessels and often involves other adjacent organs.

and acquired uterine arteriovenous fistula

Acquired arteriovenous fistula is mainly related to trauma (including surgery, childbirth, various abortions, and curettage), infection, tumors, especially trophoblastic tumors, etc. It is often a single artery and vein connecting and does not involve surrounding tissues. Trophoblastic tumors have angiogenic biological characteristics and are very likely to erode blood vessels. Chemotherapy can also damage the blood vessel walls, causing the formation of communicating branches between arteries and veins or the formation of uterine arteriovenous fistulas. Color Doppler ultrasound has an important role in the diagnosis of uterine arteriovenous fistula, but the final diagnosis requires angiography. The typical manifestations of angiography are obvious thickening and tortuosity of the bilateral uterine arteries; increased blood vessels in the lesion site, tubular or cystic dilatation, and abnormal increase in blood flow; early visualization of veins in the arterial phase; and contrast agent spillage in the presence of active bleeding.

Treatment of uterine arteriovenous fistula

The treatment of uterine arteriovenous fistula is divided into conservative treatment and surgical treatment.

Interventional embolization is an effective conservative treatment for preserving the uterus. During embolization, uterine artery angiography is performed first, which can quickly determine whether there is an arteriovenous fistula and the site of bleeding. Selective uterine artery embolization can then accurately and quickly block the blood supply to the bleeding site and stop the bleeding in time. It has the advantages of short operation time, less trauma and definite hemostatic effect. However, most congenital arteriovenous fistulas have multiple communicating branches, and one embolization may not be able to achieve the purpose of complete embolization, and multiple embolizations of the blood supply vessels may be required. This method is the preferred treatment option for young patients who desire fertility.

For older women, those with uterine fibroids, trophoblastic tumors, or those with life-threatening massive bleeding, embolization failure, or no conditions for interventional treatment, total hysterectomy may be considered.

The above is an introduction to the causes of uterine arteriovenous fistula, so that we can better prevent the disease. For women, we must pay more attention to maintaining good living habits, develop regular eating and rest habits, and also ensure a healthy sex life. If you are not ready to have a baby, try to take good contraceptive measures when having sex. This will reduce the harm of the disease to the body.