Research In Brief
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Uterine artery embolization: BioSphere Medical's Embosphere tris-acryl gelatin microspheresare more effective in blocking blood flow to benign uterine fibroids than Boston Scientific's Contour SE polyvinyl alcohol microspheres, according to results of a study led by Gary P. Siskin, M.D., Albany Medical Center, published in the January Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. In the 53-patient randomized study, co-funded by Boston Scientific and BioSphere, patients treated with Contour SE had a 29.6% treatment failure rate and 66.7% total success rate (100% occlusion of the arteries feeding the tumor), compared to a 3.8% failure rate and 92.3% success rate for Embosphere. Embosphere, already the market leader, "should be the preferred agent for UAE at this time," the authors conclude