Preoperative embolization of central nervous system tumors

Surgical excision of hypervascular central nervous system (CNS) tumors can be daunting and is associated with the potential for staggering blood loss. The need to mitigate intraoperative tumoral hemorrhage has fostered the refinement of neuroendovascular techniques for preoperative embolization of tumors. Since these techniques were first described in the early 1970s, the field has matured rapidly, with advances in microcatheter technology and ongoing improvements in the design of embolisates. Nonetheless, the tenets fundamental to embolization of tumors are not novel. They include an understanding of neurovascular anatomy and of the natural history and behavior of tumors.