Treatment of Uterine Artery Vasospasm with Transdermal Nitroglycerin Ointment During Uterine Artery Embolization

Uterine artery vasospasm can complicate uterine artery embolization (UAE) by prolonging procedure times or even causing treatment failure. Embolization must be delayed until the spasm improves and adequate antegrade flow in the vessel is restored. Vasospasm can also produce a “false endpoint” to the procedure, where stasis of flow in the vessel is falsely attributed to successful embolization but is actually the result of vasospasm, leading to undertreatment or treatment failure. Traditional treatments for uterine artery vasospasm have included transcatheter intra-arterial vasodilators and catheter withdrawal from the vessel, both of which can yield mixed results. We report a case of uterine artery vasospasm during UAE successfully treated with transdermal nitroglycerine ointment. Case Report