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ENDOVASCULAR NEUROSURGERY Brain Tumors Endovascular Neurosurgery can be a very helpful method even in cases of brain tumors. These tumors are meningiomas, neurofibromas, hemangioblastomas and paragangliomas. The method applies to these tumors only because they are hypervascular, they contain some arteriovenous anastomoses and their feeding vessels can be embolised with microparticles of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) with a diameter of 0.150 to 0.300 mm. Following embolization the tumor is deprived of its blood supply and starts to shrink and devitalize. The tumor can then be safely operated without bleeding which is a very serious problem especially with meningiomas or can be left as it is and be followed in cases of patients who would not tolerate a major brain operation. The same techniques can be applied with the same advantages in tumors of the face and neck as well. The most common of these tumors are the juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas, benign tumors of the nasopharynx which can bleed dangerously during an operation. Following embolization they can be removed with minimal blood loss. Below are some angiographic examples of brain tumors embolised with PVA particles with the use of Endovascular Neurosurgery techniques: Case 1 A B A: Angiographic appearance of a frontal meningioma B: Same tumor following embolization with PVA particles Case 2 A B A: Angiographic appearance of a skull base meningioma B: Same tumor following embolization with PVA particles Case 3 A B A: Angiographic appearance of a jugular foramen paraganglioma (glomus jugulare tumor) B: Same tumor following embolization with PVA particles Menu Page Diseases Page Home Page Page maintained by: Vasilis Katsaridis, MD