Abstract
Experiences of preoperative embolization using Ivalon (polyvinyl alcohol foam) particles in 12 cases of intracranial meningiomas are reported. Preoperative embolization was carried out for the purpose of decreasing bleeding from the tumor during operation.
Catheterization was performed through the femoral artery in 8 cases and through the common carotid artery in 4 cases. Ivalon particles, with a mean size of 0.5×0.5×0.5 mm, were instilled, half-and-half with normal saline and contrast material. The emboli were injected as gently as possible under the image intensifier.
In 9 cases a computed tomography scan was done after the embolization and all the cases showed a decrease in the contrast enhancement of the tumor. The operations were performed from 1 to 22 days after the embolization. Total removal was performed in 11 cases. The pathological specimens showed fragments of Ivalon within the tumor in 7 cases. In all the cases but one, the primary purpose of minimizing bleeding during operation, was achieved. No major side effects were encountered in this series. However, attention should be paid to vascular anomalies, such as the ophthalmic artery arising from the middle meningeal artery and the vertebral artery visualized through the collateral from the occipital artery, before embolization so as to prevent possible catastrophes.
