Endovascular embolization is a medical procedure to treat abnormal blood vessels in the brain and other parts of the body. It is an alternative to open surgery.
Alternative NamesTreatment - endovascular embolism; Coil embolization
DescriptionA small surgical cut will be made in the groin area. The health care provider will use a needle to create a hole in the femoral artery, a large blood vessel. Next, a tiny, flexible tube called a catheter is passed through the open skin and into the artery. Dye may flow through this tube so that the artery may be seen on medical images.
While looking at live medical images of the area, the health care provider gently moves the catheter through the blood vessel up to the area being studied.
Once the catheter is in place, the health care provider sends small plastic particles, glue, metal coils, foam, or a balloon through it to seal off the bad blood vessel. The sealing material used depends on your individual condition. (If coils are used, it is called coil embolization.) More than one type of material may be used.
Why the Procedure Is PerformedThe procedure is most often used to treat aneurysms in the brain, but it may be used for other medical conditions when open surgery is considered risky. The general goal of the treatment is to prevent bleeding in the problem area and to reduce the risk of blood vessel rupture.
It may be used to treat:
The procedure can take several hours. You will receive medicine to make you feel sleepy during the procedure.
Afterwards, you will need to rest, and may need to stay in the hospital overnight or longer.
Outlook (Prognosis)How fast you recover depends on your overall health, severity of your medical condition, and other factors.
ReferencesJohnston SC. Recommendations for the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms: a statement for healthcare professionals from the Committee on Cerebrovascular Imaging of the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular Radiology. Stroke.2002; 33(10): 2536-4.
Schnipper D. Management of intracranial complications of sinus surgery. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2004; 37(2): 453-72, ix.
Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, 17th ed. St. Louis, M0: WB Saunders; 2004.
Endovascular embolization is a medical procedure to treat abnormal blood vessels in the brain and other parts of the body. It is an alternative to open surgery.
This procedure cuts off the blood supply to a certain part of the body.
Alternative NamesTreatment - endovascular embolism; Coil embolization; Cerebral aneurysm - endovascular; Coiling; Saccular aneurysm - endovascular; Berry aneurysm - endovascular repair; Fusiform aneurysm repair; Aneurysm repair - endovascular
DescriptionYou may have general anesthesia and a breathing tube. Or, you may be given medication to relax you, but not enough to put you to sleep.
A small surgical needle hole will be made in the groin area. The health care provider will use a needle to create a hole in the femoral artery, a large blood vessel.
This procedure can take several hours.
Why the Procedure Is PerformedThe procedure is most often used to treat aneurysms in the brain, but it may be used for other medical conditions when open surgery is considered risky. The goal of the treatment is to prevent bleeding in the problem area and to reduce the risk that the blood vessel will break open (rupture).
Not all aneurysms need to be treated right away. Those that are very small (less than 3 mm) are less likely to break open.
Your doctor will help you decide whether it is safer to have surgery to block off the aneurysm before it can rupture.
This procedure may be used to treat:
This procedure is often performed on an emergency basis. If it is not an emergency:
If there was no bleeding before the procedure, you may need to stay in the hospital for 1 - 2 days.
If bleeding occured, your hospital stay will be longer.
Outlook (Prognosis)How fast you recover depends on your overall health, the severity of your medical condition, and other factors.
In most cases, endovascular embolization is a successful procedure with good outcomes.
The outlook also depends on any brain damage that occurred from bleeding before, during, or after the surgery.
ReferencesBrinjikji W, Lanzino G, Cloft HJ, Rabinstein A, Kallmes DF. Endovascular treatmetn of very small (3 mm or smaller) intracranial aneurysms: report of a consecutive series and a meta-analysis. Stroke. 2010;41:116-121.
Meyers PM, Schumacher HC, Higashida RT, Barnwell SL, Craeger MA, Gupta R, et al. American Heart Association Indications for the performance of intracranial endovascular neurointerventional procedures: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention, Stroke Council, Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, Interdisciplinary Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease, and Interdisciplinary Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research. Circulation. 2009;119:2235-2249.
Patterson JT, Hanbali F, Franklin RL, Nauta HJW, Neurosurgery. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 72.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 01/26/2011
Shabir Bhimji, MD, PhD, Specializing in General Surgery, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Midland, TX. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Endovascular embolization is a procedure that utilizes chemical agents or metallic coils to stop bleeding and treat aneurysms or brain tumors.
An AVM is an arteriovenous malformation. The current treatment of choice for an AVM is something called endovascular embolization.
Uterine fibroid embolization is non-surgical removal of the growths through the use of a tubular device called a catheter.
Embolization involves plugging up access to the malformation. This technique does not require opening the skull to expose the brain and can be used to treat deep AVMs.
distal embolization
Although uterine fibroid embolization is an outpatient procedure, patients may stay in a recovery area for up to 23 hours.
Splenic embolization. involves plugging or blocking the splenic artery to shrink the size of the spleen. The substances that are injected during this procedure include polyvinyl alcohol foam, polystyrene, and silicone.
what symptoms can i expect after angio embolism of the nose for epistaxis
Transcatheter therapy, embolization, any method, radiological supervision and interpretation
You should discuss this with your doctor or even a hospital if you can not reach your doctor.
A recent study comparing the fertility of women who had uterine artery embolizations with those who had a myomectomy showed similar number of successful pregnancies for both groups. The long-term effect of uterine artery embolization on the ability of a woman to have children has not been fully determined.
Uterine fibroid embolization, also known asuterine artery embolization, is performed by an interventional radiologist, a physician who is trained to perform this and other types of embolization and minimally invasive procedures. It is performed while the patient is conscious, but sedated and feeling no pain. It does not require general anesthesia. The interventional radiologist makes a tiny nick in the skin in the groin and inserts a catheter into the femoral artery. Using real-time imaging, the physician guides the catheter through the artery and then releases tiny particles, the size of grains of sand, into the uterine arteries that supply blood to the fibroid tumor. This blocks the blood flow to the fibroid tumor and causes it to shrink and die. http://www.vascularaccesscenters.com/ufe.asp