Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a technique for management of various obstetrical and gynecological problems. Transfemoral approach (TFA) is preferred which can be unilateral or bilateral; however, unilateral puncture is preferred due to lesser chances of puncture-related complications as compared to bilateral puncture. UAE through unilateral TFA is possible with use of reverse loop catheters (Roberts uterine catheter [RUC] or Gandras catheter) to access ipsilateral uterine artery. Other way of cannulating the ipsilateral uterine artery is by maneuvering catheters to form Waltman's loop/Simmon's reverse loop. With advent of RUC, unilateral TFA became standard of care. In the recent past, RUC was retracted from Indian market and its nonavailability had mandated use of either bilateral TFA or use of catheters and techniques used in the past for unilateral TFA. Herein, we describe a technique of doing UAE by unilateral TFA using simple gentle curve catheter (Picard) by making a reverse curve loop.
Keywords: 0.035 curved-tipped hydrophilic guidewire; 5F-Picard catheter; reverse loop; transfemoral approach; uterine artery embolization.
Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).