Overview of Vascular Embolizations: Indications, Complications and Guidelines

Therapeutic vascular embolization is a minimally invasive transcatheter procedure by which abnormal vasculature which is either congenital or a result of an acquired pathological process is obliterated, thereby resulting in clinical improvement. It has also been used for occlusion of normal vasculature to palliate neoplasms and ablate tissue. These normal or abnormal vessels either cause excessive bleeding or produce hemodynamic disturbances. This procedure has gained acceptance in terms of safety and efficacy with the advent of more advanced hardware like microcatheters, embolization materials and high resolution digital imaging. The rate of procedural complications is low with expanding operator expertise, making it the first line of treatment in several clinical situations reviewed in the following chapters.