Efficacy of superselective transcatheter arterial embolization for intractable postpartum hemorrhage due to genital tract trauma after vaginal delivery

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of superselective transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for intractable postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) due to genital tract trauma (GTT) after vaginal delivery. Methods We evaluated 27 patients who underwent TAE for intractable PPH due to GTT after vaginal delivery at our institution between January 2008 and December 2020. Patients were divided into two groups according to TAE procedure; TAE performed as close as possible to the bleeding point, at least more peripherally than the second branch of the anterior division of the internal iliac artery, was defined as superselective TAE (S-TAE). TAE performed from the proximal segment of the internal iliac artery was defined as proximal TAE (P-TAE). Patient characteristics, pre-procedural contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT), procedure details, technical/clinical success, and complications were evaluated separately for the S-TAE and P-TAE groups. Results The combined technical/clinical success rate was 92%. No major procedure-related complications were seen (mean follow-up: 6.12 ± 3.93 days). The combined technical/clinical success rate of S-TAE was 100% and of P-TAE was 67% ( p = 0.04). S-TAE was performed more frequently in patients with pre-procedural CE-CT ( p = 0.01) and use of permanent embolic materials ( p = 0.003). Conclusion S-TAE is safe and effective for intractable PPH due to GTT. Pre-procedural CE-CT may be useful for detecting the culprit artery and be helpful in performing S-TAE.