Preoperative embolization of primary spinal aneurysmal bone cysts by direct percutaneous intralesional injection of n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate

Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are highly vascular lesions often referred for preoperative transarterial embolization. However, accessible arterial pedicles do not always exist. Two cases are presented of pediatric patients with spinal ABCs in which preoperative embolization was performed by percutaneous injection of up to 31 mL of liquid embolic agent (1:7 ratio, n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate [n-BCA] to ethiodized oil). Total estimated surgical blood loss was 1,000 mL in one case and 3,650 mL in the other case, which occurred during the extensive anterior and posterior approaches required to remove the massive ABCs. Direct percutaneous injection of n-BCA is a technically simple and efficient adjunct to surgical resection with the aim to reduce intraoperative blood loss.