What is Bronchial Artery Embolization?
Coughing up blood can be a sign of bleeding from weak or damaged blood vessels that supply blood to the windpipes (bronchial arteries). Bronchial arteries can be damaged by lung infections, cancer, cystic fibrosis, and other diseases.
Embolization is a minimally invasive way to stop the bleeding. It involves injecting special material to block the abnormal artery.
How is a Bronchial Artery Embolization done?
You will be given medicine to keep you comfortable. The clinician will clean and numb the skin on the top of your thigh or wrist. They will thread a small plastic tube through the skin into an artery. Moving x-rays and dye will help the clinician move the tube to the bleeding artery in the lungs. They inject special material through the tube to block off the vessel and stop the bleeding. They then remove the tube and put a dressing over the pinhole where the tube entered the skin.
Bronchial Artery Embolization
1. After numbing the skin, the clinician puts a small tube into the artery at the top of the wrist (shown) or thigh.
2. The clinician uses moving x-rays to guide the tube to the bleeding artery in the lungs
3. They inject special material through the tube to block off the vessel and stop the bleeding. After, they remove the tube and place a bandage over the pinhole
What are the risks?
Bronchial artery embolization is generally a safe procedure when done by a specialist.
9 in 10 people experience temporary chest pain or have temporary trouble swallowing.
1 in 10 people will cough up blood again. If so, another bronchial artery embolization can be done.
Less than 2 to 6 in 100 people experience spinal cord damage because the bleeding vessel in the chest can also carry blood to the spinal cord. If this vessel is also blocked off, it can cause temporary or permanent numbness or paralysis below the waist.
What are the alternatives?
Your treatment options depend on your preferences, overall health and unique conditions.
Alternative 1 Not to treat the bleeding. The advantage is that you avoid a procedure. The disadvantage is that the bleeding can make it difficult to breathe and lead to death.
Alternative 2 Surgery to cut out the part of the lung that is bleeding. This is an invasive procedure with higher risks, so embolization is often tried first.