What does venous embolisation involve?

The term embolisation (from 'embolus' - embolism) refers to procedures aimed at the controlled closure or clogging of the lumen of a malfunctioning vessel, whether arterial (e.g. aneurysm) or venous (e.g. varicose or varicose vein).

Venous embolisationsAs the name suggests, they concern procedures on the venous system. They are most commonly performed in the small pelvis and abdominal cavity. Venous embolisation is a type of procedure that involves a percutaneous, minimally invasive entry into the venous system, followed by controlled plugging of the failing vessel to render it inactive and out of the bloodstream.

The agents used for venous embolisation procedures are divided into chemical (e.g. tissue adhesives, alcohols or sclerosants) and other artificially produced materials such as gelatine sponges, vascular spirals or detachable balloons). Embolisation materials are well-proven means of very selectively and effectively closing a vessel whose insufficiency leads to overloading of the rest of the venous system.

At Phlebology Clinic We have developed a proprietary method of performing venous (intravenous) embolisation, ranging from minimally invasive vascular access to haemodynamic closure of insufficient venous vessels. During embolisation procedures, we most often use foamy obliterating agents (the so-called 'foaming agents'). sclerosants) and modern embolisation coils (coils) administered very precisely, always under the control of imaging equipment. During embolisation procedures, the Department of Phlebology uses modern low-dose X-ray equipment, percutaneous intraoperative ultrasound and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).

Embolisation procedures are always performed under the supervision of the anaesthetic team. In our Clinic, venous embolisations are performed by interventional radiologists and phlebologists, always after a prior imaging diagnosis (CT venography or MR venography) and a venous Doppler ultrasound examination.

The aim of embolisation procedures on the venous system is to close the inefficient venous vessel and the varicose vein filling from it. The introduction of embolisation agents into the vessel lumen leads to vessel occlusion (closure) and then initiates the process of fibrosis and vessel shrinkage. The postoperative period is a kind of controlled inflammation. Sometimes, during this period, the patient undergoing venous embolisation experiences minor pain (e.g. in the lower abdomen or scrotal sac) or has an elevated body temperature. These are symptoms of what is known as the 'phlebitis'. post-embolism syndromewhich is quite rare in venous embolisation procedures (in our experience, it does not exceed 10-15% of the cases we treat).

In the case of procedures on the venous system in our Clinic, the most common closures are insufficient venous trunks (such as dilated ovarian veins or major branches of the internal iliac veins), varicose veins, varicose veins, venous hemangiomas and various types of vascular malformations.

For men and women, the most common pathology treated by the OUR TEAM is the so-called pelvic venous insufficiency.

In the case of women The most commonly performed procedure is embolisation of the ovarian veins and branches of the iliac vein drainage, and in the case of men embolisation of insufficient nuclear veins, whose insufficiency leads to the formation of varicose veins of the genital tract.

Treatments venous embolisation performed by an experienced team (radiologist, phlebologist, interventional radiologist) have many advantages, which include:

• no incisions on the skin, no disfiguring stitches that often remain after surgical operations;
• short duration of intravenous embolisation procedures (usually 30-120 min);
• no need for general anaesthesia (shallow sedation and local anaesthesia are used in most cases);
• rapid return to daily activities (the patient usually does not feel any significant discomfort 5-7 days after the procedure);
• low risk of intra- and postoperative complications (complications after embolisation procedures may arise from the fact that the procedure itself is performed on the venous system, as well as from the need to administer a contrast agent);
• high effectiveness of treatments (in the Phlebology Clinic the percentage of closed venous vessels exceeds 95% at 5-year follow-up!), which translates into low recurrence rates compared to surgical treatment.

You can read more about the philosophy of causal treatment of venous disease at the Phlebology Clinic on the website: VASCULAR LABORATORY.

Below is a video showing how to perform the procedure bilateral venous embolisation in the Department of Phlebology.