Intraarterial Dexamethasone for Pain Relief After Uterine Fibroid Embolization: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Primary result · Mean pain score over 168 hours (VAS)Result — go to the resultMean difference −1.64 95% CI −3.10 to −0.19Authors' conclusion
In this randomized clinical trial of 40 women undergoing UFE, intraarterial dexamethasone was associated with clinically meaningful reductions in postprocedural pain through 96 hours compared with placebo, without compromising treatment efficacy or increasing adverse events
Study context
- Population
- Women aged 20 to 50 years undergoing uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), single tertiary academic centre40 analysed
- Participants
- 42 women
- Comparison
- Intraarterial dexamethasone vs saline placebo during embolization
- Dexamethasonen = 21
- Placebon = 21reference
- Primary endpoint
- Postprocedural pain (VAS)
- Follow-up
- Through 168 hours
Methodological detailsdouble-blind, placebo-controlled, single-centre, Conducted July 2020 to December 2023, follow-up through 3 months
- Double-blind
- Placebo-controlled
- Single-centre
- Conducted July 2020 to December 2023, follow-up through 3 months
Primary result
Mean pain score over 168 hours (VAS) · 168 hours
Mean difference
−1.64
95% CI −3.10 to −0.19
P = 0.02
By group
Dexamethasone
2.63
mean · SE 2.28 · visual analog scale units
Placebo
4.28
mean · SE 2.27 · visual analog scale units
Dexamethasone vs Placebo
mean difference −1.64 (95% CI −3.10 to −0.19); P = 0.02
As reported in the abstract
Secondary outcomes
Mean
| Outcome | Dexamethasone | Placebo | Mean difference (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain score immediately after the procedure | 4.0 (SD 3.3) | 6.1 (SD 3.1) | −2.1 (−4.14 to −0.06) | P = 0.04 | |
| Pain score through 96 hours | 2.4 (SD 2.4) | 4.5 (SD 3.2) | −2.1 (−3.90 to −0.30) | P = 0.02 | |
| −6−4−202Difference (linear scale) |
Mean
| Outcome | Dexamethasone | Placebo | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uterine volume reduction on MRI (paired MRI follow-up) · baseline to 3 months | 37.4% (SD 17.7%) | 29.6% (SD 20.2%) | P = 0.30 |
| Dominant fibroid volume reduction on MRI (paired MRI follow-up) · baseline to 3 months | 34.4% (SD 22.8%) | 38.6% (SD 16.7%) | P = 0.60 |
Safety
Events
| Outcome | Dexamethasone | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Major complications | 0 | 0 |
Original publication
Intraarterial Dexamethasone for Pain Relief After Uterine Fibroid Embolization: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. Published 1 July 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →