Image-guided treatments designed to relieve symptoms through a tiny catheter—without large incisions or major surgery.
Frequent urination, weak stream, urgency, difficulty emptying, or repeated nighttime waking?
Prostate Artery Embolization may reduce prostate volume and relieve urinary symptoms without traditional prostate surgery.
Explore Prostate Embolization
Persistent pain, stiffness, swelling, or difficulty walking despite medication, therapy, or injections?
Genicular Artery Embolization may reduce inflammation-related pain in appropriately selected patients.
Explore Knee Embolization
Heavy periods, pelvic pain or pressure, abdominal fullness, frequent urination, or fibroid discomfort?
Uterine Fibroid Embolization may shrink fibroids and improve symptoms while preserving the uterus.
Explore Fibroid EmbolizationThese symptoms can have different causes. An individualized medical assessment is required before recommending treatment.
Embolization is a minimally invasive procedure performed through a tiny catheter, usually introduced through the wrist or groin. Using real-time imaging, an interventional radiologist navigates to specific blood vessels involved in the condition and selectively treats them while preserving surrounding tissues.
A very small puncture at the wrist or groin.
The catheter moves toward the targeted vessels.
Microscopic particles reduce blood flow only in targeted vessels.
Embolization is not appropriate for every patient, and individual outcomes vary. The best treatment depends on the diagnosis, anatomy, symptoms, medical history, previous treatments, and personal goals.
Personalized treatment through a tiny catheter—without a large surgical incision. Explore minimally invasive options for enlarged prostate symptoms, knee osteoarthritis, and symptomatic uterine fibroids.
Symptoms can have more than one cause. A consultation helps confirm the diagnosis, review prior treatment and imaging, and decide whether embolization or another path makes sense.
Enlarged prostate
Symptoms: Frequent urination, weak stream, urgency, incomplete emptying, or repeated nighttime waking.
PAE may reduce blood flow to selected prostate tissue, allowing the prostate to shrink gradually and potentially improving urinary symptoms.
Important: A urologic evaluation helps confirm that symptoms are caused by benign prostate enlargement.
Knee osteoarthritis
Symptoms: Persistent knee pain, stiffness, swelling, or difficulty walking despite medication, therapy, or injections.
GAE is designed to reduce abnormal blood flow associated with inflammation and pain around an osteoarthritic knee.
Important: GAE does not rebuild cartilage and is generally considered after conservative treatment has not provided sufficient relief.
Uterine fibroids
Symptoms: Heavy periods, pelvic pain or pressure, abdominal fullness, frequent urination, or fibroid discomfort.
UFE may reduce blood flow to fibroids so they shrink gradually while preserving the uterus.
Important: Future pregnancy goals should be discussed with the interventional radiologist and gynecologist before treatment.
Embolization may be worth discussing when symptoms affect daily life and medication, therapy, or other conservative treatments have not provided sufficient relief. It is not appropriate for every patient.
A consultation does not commit you to a procedure. If embolization is not the right option, Dr. Sabbah will explain why and discuss appropriate next steps.
These general answers are a starting point. Your exact experience depends on the procedure, anatomy, medical history, and individualized plan.
Embolization is a minimally invasive, image-guided procedure performed through a small arterial access point, usually at the wrist or groin. It does not require a large surgical incision, but it is still a medical procedure with preparation, monitoring, risks, and recovery instructions.
Local anesthesia and intravenous medication for comfort are often used. The exact plan depends on the treatment, your medical history, and the clinical setting. Your team will review the anesthesia and sedation plan before treatment.
Patients generally receive medication to reduce discomfort at the catheter access site. Symptoms after treatment vary substantially: the typical experience after PAE, GAE, and UFE is not the same. A procedure-specific pain and recovery plan is reviewed in advance.
There is no single duration for every embolization. Timing depends on the procedure, anatomy, access route, and technical complexity. Your team will give you a more individualized estimate after reviewing your records and imaging.
Many patients are discharged after a period of monitored recovery. Observation or an overnight stay may sometimes be appropriate depending on the treatment, symptoms, medical history, and recovery plan.
You will need transportation home after the procedure. Return to driving, work, exercise, lifting, and travel varies by treatment and by patient. Follow the written recovery instructions provided by your clinical team.
Results are usually gradual rather than immediate. The timing and degree of improvement differ among prostate symptoms, knee pain, and fibroid symptoms. Some patients have limited improvement or may later need another treatment.
Possible effects include access-site bruising, temporary pain or inflammation, and treatment-specific symptoms. Less common complications can include bleeding, infection, contrast-related problems, injury to a vessel, or unintended embolization. Individual risks are reviewed before treatment.
Yes. Symptoms may persist, return, or have more than one cause. Some patients need medication, repeat treatment, or another procedure later. Durability and alternatives should be part of the consultation.
Coverage depends on your plan, diagnosis, medical necessity, prior authorization, and network rules. The office can verify benefits, but coverage does not guarantee that deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance will be zero.
Open the questions relevant to you, then use the detailed treatment page to prepare for a personalized discussion.
PAE
Sexual and urinary effects vary. PAE is often considered by patients concerned about these functions, but no procedure can guarantee that side effects will not occur. Discuss baseline symptoms, goals, and all urologic alternatives.
Some patients do and some do not. The decision depends on urinary retention, bladder function, prostate anatomy, medications, and the treatment plan.
No. PAE reduces blood flow to selected prostate tissue so that it may shrink gradually. The prostate remains in place.
Medication, office-based procedures, TURP, HoLEP, and other operations have different benefits, risks, durability, and recovery profiles. A urologic evaluation helps compare them fairly.
GAE
No. GAE is intended to address abnormal blood flow associated with inflammation and pain. It does not restore cartilage or reverse the structural changes of osteoarthritis.
GAE is generally discussed for carefully selected adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis when appropriate conservative treatments have not provided sufficient relief.
Future treatment options should be reviewed with both the interventional radiologist and orthopedic clinician. GAE is not presented as a replacement for every surgical indication.
Clinical evidence continues to evolve, including questions about long-term benefit and which patients respond best. A transparent consultation should address both promising findings and remaining uncertainty.
UFE
UFE is a uterus-preserving procedure: it treats blood vessels supplying fibroids rather than removing the uterus. Preserving the uterus does not guarantee future fertility.
Cramping, pelvic discomfort, fatigue, nausea, and low-grade fever can occur after UFE. Your team will provide a specific medication plan and instructions about symptoms that require medical attention.
Future pregnancy goals deserve a specific discussion with the interventional radiologist and gynecologist. The effect of UFE on fertility and pregnancy is not fully predictable for an individual patient.
Symptoms can persist or recur, and some patients later need medication, repeat embolization, myomectomy, hysterectomy, or another treatment.
Your instructions and recovery timeline will be specific to PAE, GAE, or UFE. The five stages below explain the overall process.
Review symptoms, prior treatment, imaging, laboratory results, medications, allergies, and treatment goals.
Receive individualized instructions about fasting, medications, testing, transportation, and arrival time.
A catheter is introduced through a small arterial access point and guided using real-time imaging. Comfort medication and monitoring are provided.
Follow treatment-specific instructions for medication, hydration, activity, access-site care, and symptoms to report.
Recovery and symptom response are monitored over time. Improvement may take weeks or months and varies by patient.
UFE commonly has a different post-procedure discomfort pattern from PAE or GAE. Avoid relying on a single online recovery promise; use the plan created for your treatment and medical history.
An interventional radiologist uses medical imaging to reach selected blood vessels without a large surgical incision.
A small catheter is introduced, usually through the wrist or groin.
Real-time medical imaging helps the physician reach the vessels associated with the condition.
Microscopic particles are delivered to carefully selected vessels while surrounding structures are protected as much as possible.
Potential advantages may include: no large surgical incision, targeted image guidance, treatment without general anesthesia in many cases, no overnight hospital stay for many patients, and preservation of the prostate, knee joint, or uterus depending on the procedure.
Important: Every procedure has risks, and embolization is not appropriate for everyone.
The right treatment depends on diagnosis, anatomy, symptom severity, prior care, future goals, and preferences. These summaries are conversation starters, not individualized recommendations.
| Option | Primary goal | Important considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Medication | Reduce urinary symptoms or prostate-related obstruction | Daily treatment, side effects, and response vary. |
| PAE | Reduce selected prostate blood flow so tissue may shrink | Minimally invasive; response and durability vary; does not provide tissue for pathology. |
| Urologic procedures or surgery | Open, remove, vaporize, or enucleate obstructing tissue | Techniques, anesthesia, sexual effects, bleeding risk, and durability differ substantially. |
| Option | Primary goal | Important considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Medication, therapy, and lifestyle care | Improve pain, strength, mobility, and function | Usually part of first-line management and may remain important after any procedure. |
| Injections or pain procedures | Reduce symptoms through different mechanisms | Duration, eligibility, and risks vary by treatment. |
| GAE | Reduce abnormal blood flow associated with inflammation and pain | Does not regrow cartilage; evidence and patient selection continue to evolve. |
| Knee replacement | Replace damaged joint surfaces | Major surgery with distinct indications, rehabilitation, benefits, and risks. |
| Option | Primary goal | Important considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Medication | Manage bleeding, pain, or hormonal symptoms | May not remove or permanently shrink fibroids. |
| UFE | Reduce fibroid blood flow so fibroids may shrink | Preserves the uterus; future fertility and the possibility of later treatment require discussion. |
| Myomectomy or ablation | Remove or destroy selected fibroid tissue | Suitability depends on fibroid size, number, location, and pregnancy goals. |
| Hysterectomy | Remove the uterus | Definitive treatment for uterine fibroids; pregnancy is no longer possible afterward. |
Nathanael Sabbah, MD, is triple-board-certified in radiology, interventional radiology, and nuclear medicine. His approach centers on determining whether embolization is medically appropriate and discussing limitations and alternatives—not only procedural benefits.
Use these resources to prepare questions, understand benefits and risks, and see how medical content is reviewed.
Candid information about candidacy, comparisons, recovery, risks, and published evidence.
Review patient selection, limitations, evolving evidence, and questions to discuss before knee embolization.
Understand uterus preservation, expected recovery, fertility considerations, risks, and alternatives.
Understand symptoms and when to seek care.
Read physician-led explanations about minimally invasive treatment and patient decision-making.
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Medical content reviewed July 2026. Educational information only; it does not replace personalized medical advice.
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