Succesvolle behandeling van miltbloedingen met behoud van de milt door selectieve katheterisatie en embolisatie van de A. lienalis

Two patients with splenic bleeding were treated with transcatheter embolisation and selective coiling of the splenic artery. These were first of all a 78-year-old woman who was on anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation and suffered a laceration of the spleen with extravasation of contrast medium and a falling haemoglobin level. The second patient was a 23-year-old woman who suffered laceration of the spleen as the result of a traffic accident. Embolisation made it possible to avoid surgical treatment and preserve the spleen in both patients. Selective embolisation of the splenic artery is a useful adjunct to the non-operative management of patients with traumatic splenic injury. However, the proper patient selection still needs to be established.