Acute pulmonary embolism during therapeutic arterial embolization with silicone fluids

Arterial embolization with gelfoam, silicone spheres, polyvinyl alcohol foam (PVA), isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate (IBCA), or silicon fluid mixtures, has been used clinically to terminate the blood supply of arteriovenous malformations (AVM).(1-6) Serious pulmonary embolization with this method usually does not occur because most of the embolizng substance is trapped within the malformation leaving only a small quantity to reach the pulmonary circulation. However, the authors describe a patient who developed severe pulmonary embolism with silicone liquid during this procedure.