Minimizing blood loss with direct percutaneous polymethylmethacrylate embolization before corpectomy for vascular spinal tumors

BACKGROUND: Standard surgical treatment for vascular spinal tumors, including renal cell carcinomas and hemangiomas, may result in significant blood loss despite preoperative arterial tumor embolization. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 12 patients who underwent direct percutaneous polymethylmethacrylate embolization (DPPE) with or without feeding artery embolization before partial or complete corpectomy for the resection of vascular spinal tumors (2013–2018). Estimated blood loss (EBL) was compared to the blood loss reported in the literature and to patients receiving standard arterial embolization before surgery. RESULTS: The mean EBL for 12 patients was 1030 mL; three of 12 patients required blood transfusions. For the single level corpectomies, the EBL ranged from 100 mL to 3900 mL (mean 640 mL). This mean blood loss was not increased in patients receiving only DPPE preoperatively versus those patients receiving preoperative arterial embolization in addition to DPPE (1005 vs. 1416 mL); in fact, the EBL was significantly reduced for those undergoing DPPE alone. CONCLUSION: In this initial study, nine patients treated with DPPE embolization alone before spinal tumor resection demonstrated reduction of intraoperative blood loss compared to three patients having arterial embolization with DDPE.