Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Embolisation of Placental Chorioangioma Using Cyanoacrylate

Abstract

We describe a case of large chorioangioma diagnosed at 22 weeks of gestation. As the tumour progressively enlarged to 8 cm with fetal cardiomegaly and increased middle cerebral arterial peak systolic velocity, embolisation of its feeding artery by percutaneous injection of cyanoacrylate was performed under ultrasound guidance. Devascularisation was immediate and complete, and the fetal cardiomegaly and anaemic features resolved after 3 weeks. A healthy infant was born at 34 weeks of gestation following spontaneous preterm labour. Pathological examination of the placenta confirmed an infarcted chorioangioma. Literature on the various prenatal treatments of chorioangioma was reviewed and showed that embolisation using cyanoacrylate is a feasible, simple, and effective treatment for large chorioangiomas. The techniques to optimise the success of the procedure were also discussed.