Embolization is a medical therapy first performed in 1972 for life-threatening bleeding from a gastric ulcer. In the early years, the procedure was relatively uncommon and performed exclusively in the hospital setting.

Over the past two decades, there has been enormous growth in the volume of embolization procedures performed in the outpatient setting. The tools used for the procedure have gotten vastly smaller and can be used in a growing number of medical conditions. Embolization has become widely known as a highly effective treatment for osteoarthritis and joint inflammation, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, symptomatic prostate enlargement, and symptomatic hemorrhoids. The procedure is an alternative to major surgery, allowing for treatment without a scalpel.

Embolization is a minimally invasive procedure that is performed similar to a heart cath where a small tube is introduced into an artery in the groin or the wrist. Through this tube, an even smaller one (a microcatheter – smaller than a pinhead) is advanced with x-ray guidance to the body area to be treated. The microcatheter is used to inject tiny, safe beads barely visible to the human eye are injected into blood vessels supplying circulation to the part of the body causing symptoms. The beads block a portion of the circulation to the area being treated. The beads do not move over time or affect areas of the body that aren’t being treated. The amount of circulation that is blocked depends on the body part being treated. With uterine fibroids, the circulation to the fibroids is decreased to the point that the fibroids die and shrink into scar tissue. With prostate enlargement, the circulation to the prostate is decreased enough to cause it to shrink and no longer block urine leaving the bladder. With painful knee osteoarthritis, frozen shoulder, and nighttime shoulder pain, the circulation to the joint is reduced so that inflammation decreases with the result of decreased pain and improved function. Clinical trials currently are investigating the impact of embolization on tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonopathy, and hand osteoarthritis.