When people hear the word “embolization,” they may think of a single procedure. In reality, embolization is a technique that an interventional radiologist can adapt to treat several very different medical conditions.
Embolization is a minimally invasive treatment that uses a catheter to reduce or stop blood flow in carefully selected blood vessels. Depending on the condition, this can help shrink abnormal tissue, reduce inflammation, control bleeding, or relieve symptoms.
At ECCO Medical, embolization is used to treat conditions ranging from enlarged prostate and uterine fibroids to chronic joint pain, plantar fasciitis, hemorrhoids, and certain liver tumors. Here’s a closer look at how it works and why the same basic technique can be used in so many different parts of the body.
What Is Embolization?
Embolization is an image-guided procedure performed from inside the blood vessels.
An interventional radiologist typically inserts a thin catheter into an artery or vein through a small access point, often near the wrist or groin. Using real-time imaging, the physician guides the catheter through the vascular system until it reaches the vessels involved in the condition being treated.
Specialized materials can then be delivered through the catheter to change or stop blood flow in a highly targeted area.
This ability to reach specific blood vessels without making a large surgical incision is what makes embolization useful for such a wide range of conditions.
You can learn more about the basic technique on ECCO Medical’s What Is Embolization? page.
What Conditions Can an Interventional Radiologist Treat With Embolization?
Embolization can treat conditions throughout the body by targeting blood vessels that are contributing to symptoms or disease. Depending on the condition, reducing or redirecting blood flow may help shrink tissue, decrease inflammation, control bleeding, or treat abnormal vascular activity.
At ECCO Medical, embolization is used for several different conditions, including BPH, uterine fibroids, chronic musculoskeletal pain, plantar fasciitis, hemorrhoids, pelvic congestion syndrome, and certain liver tumors. Although these conditions affect very different parts of the body, the underlying approach is similar: identify the vessels involved and treat them as precisely as possible using image guidance.
The sections below explain how embolization is used for some of these conditions and why patient selection matters for each one.
Can Embolization Treat an Enlarged Prostate?
Yes. Prostate artery embolization (PAE) is a minimally invasive treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.
BPH occurs when the prostate becomes enlarged and begins to interfere with urine flow. Symptoms may include frequent urination, difficulty starting or maintaining a stream, urgency, incomplete emptying, and waking repeatedly at night to use the bathroom.
During PAE, an interventional radiologist identifies the arteries supplying the prostate and delivers microscopic particles to reduce its blood supply. Over time, the prostate can shrink, and urinary symptoms may improve.
PAE can be particularly appealing to men who want to avoid or postpone more invasive prostate procedures. It also has a relatively low risk of sexual side effects compared with some surgical options.
Can Embolization Treat Uterine Fibroids?
Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is an established use of embolization.
Fibroids are benign growths in the uterus that can cause heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pressure, pain, urinary frequency, abdominal enlargement, and other symptoms.
Rather than surgically removing the fibroids, UFE targets the arteries feeding them. Reducing their blood supply causes the fibroids to shrink over time while preserving the uterus.
Can Embolization Help With Knee Pain?
For some patients with knee osteoarthritis, genicular artery embolization may help reduce chronic knee pain.
Genicular artery embolization (GAE) treats abnormal blood vessels associated with chronic inflammation around an arthritic knee. An interventional radiologist maps these vessels and selectively reduces blood flow to the areas involved in the inflammatory process.
GAE does not replace cartilage or reverse osteoarthritis. Its purpose is different. By addressing one of the processes contributing to inflammation and pain, it may help selected patients experience less discomfort and improved function.
It can be an option for people whose knee pain continues despite conservative care but who are not ready for, or want to delay, knee replacement.
What Other Types of Joint Pain Can Be Treated With Embolization?
The same general concept behind GAE is being applied to other chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
When an injured or degenerative area remains inflamed, abnormal small blood vessels can develop around the affected tissue. Musculoskeletal embolization targets selected vessels associated with that ongoing inflammatory response.
At ECCO Medical, this approach may be considered for chronic shoulder, elbow, and hip pain in appropriately selected patients.
For example, shoulder embolization may be used in certain cases of frozen shoulder, rotator cuff-related pain, or tendinopathy. Similar techniques can target chronic inflammation associated with tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and some causes of persistent hip pain.
These procedures are not appropriate for every type of joint pain. A careful diagnosis is essential before deciding whether embolization makes sense.
Can Plantar Fasciitis Be Treated With Embolization?
Chronic plantar fasciitis is another emerging application of musculoskeletal embolization.
Most cases of plantar fasciitis improve with conservative measures. When heel pain becomes persistent, however, abnormal blood vessel growth and chronic inflammation may be present around the plantar fascia.
Plantar fasciitis embolization (PFE) targets selected blood vessels associated with that inflammatory process. The goal is to decrease inflammation and pain without surgically cutting or releasing the plantar fascia.
As with other newer musculoskeletal applications, patient selection matters. Embolization is generally considered after the diagnosis has been confirmed and more conservative treatment has not provided adequate relief.
Can Embolization Treat Hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoid artery embolization (HAE) offers a minimally invasive way to treat certain internal hemorrhoids, particularly when recurrent bleeding is the main concern. Instead of making a rectal incision or removing tissue, an interventional radiologist reduces blood flow through the arteries supplying the hemorrhoids.
HAE may be an option when conservative measures or office-based treatments have not provided lasting relief. Because the procedure targets the blood vessels contributing to hemorrhoidal symptoms, it is generally best suited for bleeding internal hemorrhoids. It may not address large external hemorrhoids or significant prolapse.
Is Embolization Used for Other Medical Conditions?
Embolization is used for a much broader range of medical conditions than many patients realize. Depending on the condition, it can be used to control bleeding, close off abnormal blood vessels, reduce blood flow to painful or inflamed tissue, or target tumors by interrupting their blood supply.
Cancer treatment is one important example. ECCO Medical uses embolization to treat certain tumors in the liver, including tumors that originate there and cancers that have spread to the liver. Depending on the type of tumor and treatment plan, we use techniques such as Y90 radioembolization, chemoembolization, or bland embolization. The goal is to deliver treatment directly through the arteries feeding the tumor while limiting exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.
Elsewhere in interventional radiology, embolization may also be used to manage certain types of internal bleeding and vascular abnormalities. The specific procedure depends on the blood vessels involved, the underlying condition, and the patient’s overall treatment plan.
Why Is an Interventional Radiologist Able to Treat So Many Different Conditions?
Interventional radiologists specialize in using medical imaging to diagnose and treat disease through very small instruments, often working through the body’s blood vessels.
Because blood vessels extend throughout the body, interventional radiologists can often reach treatment targets that would otherwise require a surgical approach.
Instead of approaching a condition through a large surgical incision, an interventional radiologist can often navigate through the vascular system to reach a very specific treatment target.
The underlying goal varies. For BPH, embolization reduces blood flow so the prostate can shrink. For fibroids, it causes fibroid tissue to shrink. For certain chronic pain conditions, it targets abnormal vessels associated with inflammation. For bleeding, it can be used to close the vessel responsible.
The route may be similar, but the treatment strategy is tailored to the condition.
What Are the Benefits of Embolization?
One reason embolization has expanded into so many areas of medicine is that it offers a less invasive way to reach tissues deep inside the body.
Many embolization procedures require only a small access site rather than a surgical incision. Depending on the treatment, patients may go home the same day and return to normal activities sooner than they would after traditional surgery.
Embolization is also highly targeted. The physician can use imaging to identify the vessels involved and treat them while working to preserve healthy circulation to surrounding tissue.
That does not mean embolization is automatically better than surgery or other treatments. The right choice depends on the diagnosis, anatomy, severity of symptoms, available evidence, previous treatment, and individual goals.
How Do I Know if Embolization Is an Option for Me?
Start with the diagnosis, not the procedure.
An interventional radiologist can review your symptoms, medical history, imaging, and previous treatments to determine whether there is a vascular target that can be treated safely and whether embolization is likely to help.
In some cases, embolization may provide an alternative to surgery. In others, another treatment may offer a better chance of addressing the underlying problem.
ECCO Medical offers minimally invasive treatment options for patients in the Denver area, Lone Tree, Pueblo, Pueblo West, and surrounding Colorado communities. If you’ve been told surgery may be your next step, or conservative treatment is no longer providing enough relief, an evaluation with an interventional radiologist can help determine whether a minimally invasive embolization procedure may be an option.
Schedule a consultation with ECCO Medical to find out whether an embolization procedure may be appropriate for your condition.
