title: Juvenile angiofibroma: major and minor complications of preoperative embolization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Juvenile angiofibromas (JA) are highly vascular, benign tumours for which surgery is the treatment of choice. In most services, embolisation is performed prior to resection. Nevertheless, there are few data on the complications of preoperative embolisation for JA.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe major and minor complications of preoperative embolisation in a 32-year experience of patients undergoing surgical resection of JA at a tertiary hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review study of 170 patients who underwent surgical resection of JA at a tertiary hospital between September 1976 and July 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients were male. Age ranged from 9 to 26 years. Ninety-one patients had no complications after embolisation. Overall, 105 complication events occurred of which four major and 101 minor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our series, preoperative embolisation for JA produced no irreversible complications and no aesthetic or functional sequelae. The vast majority of complications were transient and amenable to clinical management.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. otorrino.ichc@hcnet.usp.br
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fornazieri
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pinna
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Voegels
authors.forename: L U
authors.initials: LU
authors.lastname: Sennes
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Junior
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Caldas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018322:Angiofibroma / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057234:Preoperative Period; D055815:Young Adult