Embolization
What is 'embolization'?
Embolization is a procedure that is used in conjunction with angiography, where blood vessels that need to be blocked off, can be blocked off very strategically.
How are blood vessels blocked during embolization?
A variety of different kinds of embolic materials can be used to close blood vessels. The used of different kinds of embolic materials depends to the great extent on the up malady that is being treated. The materials that can be used include particulate material or coils which are small string wire or liquid material.
What is embolization used for?
When it is necessary to block a blood vessel. The blood vessel may be bleeding, or there may be instances in which the blood vessel is leading to areas that are cancerous, or it may be a blood vessel that leads to an enlargement of an organ, such as a uterus that has fibroid disease.
What does the equipment used for embolization look like?
The equipment used for embolization typically involves small plastic tubes what we call catheters. Some of these catheters can be as small as only a millimeter in diameter. They can be extremely flexible and the can go into extremely tiny blood vessels.
What can I expect during embolization?
Most patients who undergo embolization procedures will receive some form of sedation. When a blood vessel is closed off, it can produce some pain due to the deprivation of blood supply to that body part.
What can I expect after embolization?
After embolization, depending on what abnormality is being embolized and what body part is being embolized, you may or may not feel any pain. If a large amount of tissue is deprived of its blood supply, then it can result in moderate pain or fever. This is what we call post embolization syndrome. This is expected and you will be told whether or not to expect this depending on the abnormality that you are being treated for.
How is uterine fibroid embolization performed?
Uterine fibroid embolization is performed for women who have difficulty with enlarged, benign tumors of the uterus. These benign tumors can sometimes cause abnormal bleeding or pain or fullness or discomfort within the pelvis. The embolization is performed by placement of a catheter into the blood vessel leading to the fibroids in the uterus. This is usually done on both sides of the uterus. And small particles are injected in order to deprive these benign tumors of their sometimes very, very significant blood supply. This can be performed from one groin puncture or both groins.
Are there risks involved with embolization?
The risks of embolization include the possibility that material that is used for the embolization going to areas where they were not intended. This is what we call non-target embolization. Depending on where non-target embolization might go then different tissues and different organs can be damaged.
What are the benefits involved with embolization?
The advantages of embolization involves the ability to decrease the blood supply to an area that is bleeding or that might have tumour growth through a small incision instead of having to a major surgery with large incision.
What are the limitations of embolization?
Embolization however is limited in that we can only treat those blood vessels that we can pass a catheter to. There are instances in which some abnormalities will not be accessible though an embolization technique because we cannot get the catheter to that location.
