📖 Embolization — overview
Embolization is one of the most versatile techniques in interventional radiology. A catheter inserted through the skin (usually at the groin) is guided to the target blood vessel under X-ray. Embolic agents are then injected to deliberately block it — stopping blood supply to a tumour, controlling haemorrhage, or treating vascular abnormalities.
Key advantages: no incision, local anaesthesia, same-day discharge in most cases. Embolization has replaced or supplemented surgery in many clinical scenarios, with equivalent efficacy and significantly lower morbidity.
🔧 Embolic agents
🔩 Metallic coils
Platinum or steel micro-coils deployed to thrombose target vessels. Used for varicocele, aneurysms, pre-operative bone tumour embolization.
⚪ Calibrated microspheres
Precisely sized polymer spheres (100–900 µm). Used in fibroid embolization, prostate artery embolization, TACE.
💊 Drug-eluting beads (DEB)
Microspheres loaded with doxorubicin. Used in DEB-TACE for HCC.
🧪 Liquid agents (glue/Onyx)
Cyanoacrylate or Onyx for high-flow lesions, AVM, pelvic varicosities.
🔗 Related pages
🇫🇷 French version: embolisation-definition.html