Endovascular embolization of a recurrent cervical giant cell neoplasm using N-butyl 2-cyanoacrylate

Pre-operative endovascular embolization of spinal giant cell tumors (GCTs) has been an effective strategy to reduce blood loss during surgical resection. Traditionally, spinal GCTs have been embolized with polyvinyl acetate (PVA) particles. We present the pre-operative embolization of a recurrent cervical GCT with N-butyl 2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) rather than PVA. The patient was a 17-year-old female who, 3 months prior, had undergone a surgical resection of a cervical GCT without pre-operative embolization. She returned with tumor recurrence in the approximate location. Resection was recommended, and pre-operative embolization was requested. The tumor was embolized with NBCA. Post-embolization angiography demonstrated significantly decreased tumor "blush" and a significant reduction of the vascular supply. This is the first reported use of NBCA for the pre-operative embolization of a cervical GCT. The benefits of NBCA over PVA particles include superior penetration, permanent tumor embolization and lower exposure to radiation due to shorter procedure time.