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SIR 2025

Women's Health

Scientific Session

Session: Women's Health

Quantification of Pain Relief with Gonadal Vein Embolization (GVE) for Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS)

Wednesday, April 2, 2025
10:57 AM – 11:06 AM CT
Location: Music City Center, 204
Purpose: Coil embolization of the gonadal veins has been shown to decrease pain in those affected by PCS, although the degree of relief has not yet been quantified. The purpose of this research was to quantify the degree of pain relief following GVE using a specified pelvic congestion targeted pain scale.

Materials and Methods: Females who provided informed consent and underwent GVE, via catheter directed sclerotherapy and coil embolization, for PCS in the Interventional Radiology division at a single institution from May 2019 to August 2023 were included in this study. A four-question Pelvic Congestion Symptom Score (PCSS) questionnaire was developed to assess therapeutic response to embolization with a score of 0-4 points on each question with scores ranging from 0 (lowest pain possible) to 16 (highest pain possible). The PCSS questionnaire was administered preoperatively in-person, and postoperatively over the phone at 4 weeks, 90 days, 180 days, and 360 days following embolization. Descriptive statistics were obtained, and a paired t-test was used to compare the pre-procedure PCSS score to the 1-year post-procedure PCSS score.

Results: Thirty-two women participated in the survey with an average age at intervention of 40.1 years (SD 9.6). At pre-intervention, the average total pain score was 10.7 (SD 2.4), at 4 weeks post-intervention, the average score was 4.2 (SD 4.6), at 90 days, 4.5 (SD 4.3), at 180 days, 4.1 (SD 4.7) and at 1 year, 3.5 (SD 4.9). The mean difference in pre-score and 1-year post-score was 7.23, (p< 0.0001, 95% CI 5.59,8.86).

Conclusion: This prospective analysis demonstrates patients experience lasting pain relief up to one year following GVE.