Fibroid that grow in the uterus stalk is called pedunculated fibroid. If this fibroid grows outside the uterus it is called sub-serous fibroids and if it grows inside the uterus its called sub-mucosal fibroids.
The fibroids can grow to become quite large in size; among the largest reported ones I discovered was reported last year by the East African Medical Journal. A 37 year old woman had abdominal swelling that simply continued to grow. The surgeons discovered that she had a pedunculated fibroid nearly 16 centimetres in length and weighing almost a kilogram and a half.
This woman was fortunate to experience no symptoms beyond the swelling, but others are not as lucky when it comes to their experiences with pedunculated fibroids.
In some women, submucosal pedunculated fibroids extend into the vaginal canal, which causes distress during sexual intercourse. Two patients treated by the American University of Beirut Medical Center were found to have such fibroids. A full 12 cm of one patients submucosal fibroid had grown into the vaginal canal, while the rest of the growth remained in her uterus.
When the stalk gets distorted it causes severe pain but very few faces this problem. It is very risk if the fibroid in the stalk grows.
These fibroids comprise uterine cramps and compressed sensation of uterus and other organs.
Yet another possible symptom brought on by pedunculated submucosal fibroids is bleeding between periods. This bleeding can range from light spotting, to constant bleeding very similar to that of a light period. Those who have constant bleeding report that the intensity of the bleeding becomes heavier at the arrival of their time of the month.
If a pedunculated fibroid becomes twisted, the patient may need emergency surgery. The pain of a twisted peduncle can be so excruciating that the patient requests any possible procedure to alleviate it.
Another effect of twisted peduncle is a blockage or twist in veins that supplies the fibroid with blood and nutrients. These fibroid perishes if the supply is blocked and hence causes severe pain and enhances the infection rate.
When a peduncle is determined to be 2cm or more in width, a process called Uterine Artery Embolization is indicated. This procedure blocks the blood supply to the growths so that they begin to deteriorate and eventually die. This procedure has been found to be more successful with subserousal fibroids than with any other kind of fibroid.
Doctors at the Bretonneau Hospital in France have begun recommending for women who have undergone the procedure to undergo it again after 2 years as it has been found that approximately 10% experience growth of the fibroids again within that time. They have also discovered that the procedure does not inhibit fibroids from growing back.
Another procedure often used to treat pedunculated fibroids is a myomectomy. In this procedure, the surgeon removes the fibroid and repairs the uterus. Myomectomy is not always 100% successful. In one case reported by the University of South Dakota, an unsuccessful myomectomy was performed, leading to an emergency hysterectomy for the patient.
Before hysterectomy surgeries, it is very reasonable to sign papers as an approval, as things may go wrong or sometimes for very few women uterus has to be removed.