Endovascular embolization (EE) is an invasive surgical procedure. It’s used to treat abnormal blood vessels found in your brain, as well as other areas of your body. This procedure is an alternative to open surgery. It blocks blood vessels to cut off blood flow to an affected area.

Your doctor may recommend EE if you experience one of the following conditions:

• brain aneurysms, which are bulging weak spots in the walls of blood vessels in your brain
• tumors such as uterine fibroids, which can be shrunk by blocking their blood flow
• abnormal growths in your circulatory system
• arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of your brain and spine, which are knots of blood vessels that are susceptible to bleeding
• excessive nosebleeds

EE can be used as the sole form of treatment, or it can be done before another surgery. Blocking off the blood flow to a damaged area can make surgery safer.