The usefulness of transarterial embolization before transurethral resection of bladder tumor for patients with large bladder tumors

Objective To assess the usefulness of transarterial embolization (TAE) before a transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) procedure for large bladder tumors, intra- and postoperative outcomes were retrospectively compared between patients with and without TAE before TURBT. Methods and results Thirty-seven patients underwent TURBT for complete resection of bladder tumors with a diameter of 3 cm or greater between January 2013 and December 2023 at the Department of Urology, Hyogo Medical University. For 13, TAE was performed 1 or 2 days before TURBT. In the TAE group, tumor volume was significantly larger [74.1 +/- 42.7 (28.9-190.5) cm(3) vs. 17.3 +/- 14.3 (6.1-69.8) cm(3), p < 0.05] and operative time significantly shorter [119 +/- 49.8 (74-263) min vs. 143 +/- 28.1 (107-218) min, p = 0.012] as compared with the non-TAE group. Furthermore, the change in hemoglobin level was significantly less in the TAE group [-0.6 +/- 0.8 (0.4 to -2.3) mg/dL vs. -1.0 +/- 0.7 (0.1 to -3.1) mg/dL, p = 0.008]. Conclusion TAE before TURBT for a large bladder tumor contributes to less blood loss and shorter operative time, thus allowing resection to be performed safely without serious complications.