emboliset

Embolization, also spelled embolisation in British English, is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure that intentionally occludes blood vessels to control bleeding or to cut off a blood supply to tissue or a lesion. The agents used to achieve occlusion are called embolic materials and include particles (such as polyvinyl alcohol particles or microspheres), coils, plugs, and liquid agents (such as n-butyl cyanoacrylate glue or ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer). The procedure is performed by interventional radiologists or endovascular surgeons through catheterization, usually via the femoral or radial artery, under imaging guidance such as fluoroscopy or CT.

Indications for embolization are diverse. It is used to treat acute or persistent bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, post-partum hemorrhage, or trauma, to devascularize hypervascular tumors (as part of chemoembolization or bland embolization), and for non-surgical management of uterine fibroids or adenomyosis through uterine artery embolization. It can also prepare a highly vascularized area for surgery by reducing blood loss or treat vascular malformations and certain aneurysms.

Outcomes depend on the indication but commonly aim for hemostasis, reduced tumor perfusion, or symptom relief while preserving organ function when possible. Risks include non-target embolization causing tissue ischemia, vascular injury, infection, post-embolization syndrome (fever, pain, nausea), contrast reactions, and rarely organ dysfunction. Most procedures are performed on an outpatient basis or with short hospital observation.

Embolization relies on occluding agents delivered through superselective catheterization. The term embolus refers to the occluding particle or device driving the occlusion.