Drs. Amy and Neel Prakash met in medical school and married in 2002. Since then, they’ve had three daughters and both practice medicine. Neel is a musculoskeletal radiologist (MSK) at Radiology Associates of Florida (RAF), which is affiliated with Radiology Partners (RP), while Amy is a dermatologist and dermatopathologist.
When they were expecting their first daughter, Neel recalls Amy’s initial ultrasound. “Of course, ultrasound – it’s in my wheelhouse, but in MSK, I don’t read a ton of pelvic ultrasounds,” he said. “Besides seeing the baby, which was extremely exciting, I noticed there was a little fibroid.” Fibroids are non-cancerous growths in the uterus that can cause significant symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding and pain in the pelvis.
A few years later in 2009, Amy was pregnant with their second daughter. During an ultrasound, Neel noticed the fibroid had shrunk. However, during Amy’s third pregnancy in 2015, she began experiencing hip pain. An MRI revealed nothing abnormal with her hip, leaving them puzzled.
It wasn’t until 2021, when Amy began experiencing heavy bleeding, that they discovered the fibroid had grown significantly. Amy explained, “We found out that my fibroid that had initially been smaller in the past had grown much larger in size.” Her ultrasound showed a six-centimeter mass in her uterus. Shocked by the size of the fibroid, they consulted with Amy’s gynecologist, who mentioned a hysterectomy but also another treatment. Amy recalled, “There’s this procedure called a uterine artery embolization performed by an interventional radiologist.” Within half an hour, Neel and Amy connected with one of his partners at his radiology practice.
Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a minimally invasive medical procedure used to treat uterine fibroids by reducing their size and cutting off their blood supply. The interventional radiologist creates a small incision in the groin area, inserts a catheter into the femoral artery using x-ray guidance and positions the catheter to inject small particles that block blood flow to the fibroids so they eventually shrink. The procedure involves less risk, pain and recovery time that other alternatives and can provide significant relief for many women while preserving the uterus.
Dr. Shane Grundy, an interventional radiologist at RAF, performed Amy’s procedure. “UAE is an extremely satisfying procedure because the results are so good,” he said. “Most patients have a significant improvement in their quality of life and the symptoms they’ve been dealing with for many years are finally resolved. It’s incredible that a relatively noninvasive, outpatient procedure can give the patient such a positive impact.”
Following the procedure, Amy experienced a typical recovery and remarkable results at her three-month follow-up. For Amy, the impact was significant. “I was back to work in less than a week, with no hip pain,” she said. “From a medical standpoint but also from a patient standpoint, the changes were profound. I just think it’s an amazing procedure.”
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