SUMMIT, NJ – MAY 2021 – Overlook Medical Center recently opened the Atlantic Fibroid Center, a program tailored to provide care focused on this common women’s health condition.
Patients at the Fibroid Center have access to the most advanced diagnostic testing and treatments – from state-of-the-art image-guided techniques and nonsurgical options to minimally invasive procedures that replace major surgeries for speedier recovery times and effective, long-term results.
As many as 70% of women will develop uterine fibroids – benign growths inside, outside or on the surface of the uterus – during their lifetime. Fibroids can range in size from a single microscopically small nodule to a cluster, weighing several pounds and measuring several inches.
While many women never experience symptoms from uterine fibroids, others have symptoms that impact the quality of their life.
“For those women who are affected by fibroids, timely and effective treatment is available and can provide long-term relief,” observes Diana Contreras, MD, medical director, Women’s Health, Atlantic Health System.
Women with symptomatic fibroids can first be treated with medications, including birth control pills or other hormonal therapies. If medications do not work, or if the symptoms are severe, treatment options include uterine fibroid embolization, myomectomy, and hysterectomy.
Uterine Fibroid Embolization, or UFE, is a minimally invasive, non-surgical option for treating fibroids. This procedure is performed by an interventional radiologist, a highly-skilled physician, who is trained in minimally invasive techniques to treat a variety of diseases.
“Instead of general anesthesia, patients are given a sedative; and I use a nerve block to minimize post-procedure pain," Amish Patel, MD, an interventional radiologist at the center, explained of UFE. "The entire process takes less than an hour. Patients go home the same day and are back to work in less than one week."
Dr. Patel is part of Atlantic Medical Group, Atlantic Health System’s multi-specialty network of more than 1,000 physicians and providers throughout northern and central New Jersey.
Myomectomy and hysterectomy are surgical procedures performed by a gynecologist with patients under general anesthesia. Unlike UFE, these two procedures remove the problematic fibroids from a woman’s body. Myomectomy involves selectively removing only the fibroids.
Hysterectomy involves removing the fibroids and the uterus together. However, since more invasive than UFE, these surgical options require longer recovery.
For more information or to learn more about the Atlantic Fibroid Center, call 908-522-5130 or visit atlantichealth.org/fibroids.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of almost 17,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The system offers more than 400 sites of care, including seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, and Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ.
Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey and joins Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners as part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.
Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 16 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere’s Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of seven regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research – a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across seven health systems in New Jersey.
Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.