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.