Angiographic embolization for control of pelvic genital tract hemorrhage. Report of 14 cases

Abstract

Fourteen patients with intractable bleeding of obstetric or gynecological origin underwent transcatheter angiographic arterial embolization. Three patients had postpartum hemorrhage associated with dilutional coagulopathy, anticoagulant therapy and placental leukemic metastases, or placenta percreta. One patient had locally advanced gestational trophoblastic tumor, one had uterine sarcoma and 8 had advanced cervical malignancy. Bleeding was completely controlled in all patients regardless of the initiating event. The embolizing material was gelatin sponge particles in 12 patients, and spring coil in 2. In experienced hands, angiographic arterial embolization is a safe, effective and less invasive alternative to surgical ligation in some clinical states of pelvic female genital tract hemorrhage.