The first experience of arterial embolization in the treatment of pathological hip fractures

Abstract

Introduction. Bone fractures are one of the main pathologies encountered in traumatology and orthopedics. In some cases, bone fractures are the consequences of more severe pathological processes, including metastasis, which requires a special approach to both diagnosis and treatment. Before surgery, arterial embolization can be used to prevent further bleeding and hemorrhage. The aim of the study. To assess the effectiveness of arterial embolization in the treatment of patients with pathological hip fracture. Materials and methods. The research was conducted in the period from 2019 to 2020 at the Odesa Regional Clinical Hospital on 6 patients suffering from a pathological fracture of the femur. As a result of invasive metastasis, all patients suffered from femur fractures of different localization. All patients underwent catheterization of the common femoral artery followed by superselective injection of 100–130 Paralon emboli into the medial or lateral femoral artery. Results and discussion. The result of the embolization of the corresponding arteries was a very small operative blood loss, ranging from 200 to 350 ml of blood. This made it possible not to use an additional blood transfusion. The patients underwent the operation well. It also made it possible to minimize the time of stay in the intensive care unit to one day and ensured discharge from the hospital for 7–10 days with restoration of the ability to walk. Conclusions. Endovascular embolization can be recommended during surgical interventions during pathological fractures, including those caused by metastasis in oncological diseases.