Embolization

Procedure Details

What happens before an embolization procedure?

Healthcare providers perform imaging studies to assess blood flow and vessels near the treatment area. You may need an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI. You may also need to stop taking certain medications, such as blood thinners.

What types of embolic agents are used?

The agent used depends on your medical needs and the type of blood vessel being treated.

Embolic agent types include:

• Balloons: Tiny balloons deployed in a blood vessel to temporarily or permanently block it.
• Gelatin foam: Sponge-like material made of gelatin that dissolves after a few days.
• Liquid glue: Adhesive substance that hardens quickly to seal abnormal vessels.
• Liquid sclerosing agents: Substances, including alcohol, that destroy tissue on contact. This causes abnormal blood vessels to close.
• Metallic coils: Tiny devices made of stainless steel and platinum that can be placed in a precise location.
• Particulate agents: Substances, including spheres of various sizes, that permanently block small vessels.

What happens during embolization?

Here’s what happens during an embolization procedure:

1. You receive mild sedation to help you relax. Your provider will inject additional medications into the puncture site to numb it.
2. The interventional radiologist makes a small puncture in your skin near your wrist, groin or neck.
3. They slide a catheter through the puncture and advance it to the treatment area.
4. Imaging technologies, such as fluoroscopy, enable the interventional radiologist to view the treatment area and instruments.
5. Your provider injects a special dye through the catheter for enhanced views of your blood vessel and blood flow.
6. The interventional radiologist delivers the embolic agent and checks to ensure blood flow to the area has stopped.
7. When the embolization procedure is complete, the interventional radiologist removes the catheter. They cover the incision with a bandage. No stitches or large incisions are necessary.

What are the different embolization techniques?

There are many types of embolization. They include:

• Chemoembolization or radioembolization, which implants embolic agents and high-dose chemotherapy or radiation therapy into blood vessels feeding a tumor. It’s for cancers that start in or spread to your liver.
• Sac packing is a method of treating aneurysms by packing multiple coils into a treatment area.
• Sandwich technique completely removes the affected area from circulation. It involves placing embolic agents before and after the location of the abnormal tissue.
• Stent-assisted coiling for aneurysms prevents the embolic agent from moving away from its intended location (migrating). It uses a hollow mesh tube to hold the embolic agent in place.
• Particle embolization decreases or eliminates blood flow to benign tumors.

What does an embolization procedure feel like?

Due to sedation and numbing medications, you won’t feel discomfort during the procedure. There may be a slight pinch from the needle poke that delivers the numbing agent. You may also feel pressure as your provider inserts the catheter and a warm sensation from the contrast dye.

How many procedures will I need?

For many conditions, one embolization procedure is all you’ll need. If you have a large venous malformation, healthcare providers may use a staged approach. This might include one or more treatments every few weeks.