Real-World Outcomes of Splenic Artery Embolization in Blunt Splenic Trauma: Insights from an Italian Multicenter Cohort.

Abstract

Background: Splenic artery embolization (SAE) has emerged as a key adjunct to non-operative management (NOM) in hemodynamically stable patients with blunt splenic trauma, yet variability in its application persists across centers. Objectives: The aim was to evaluate real-life clinical practices, techniques, and outcomes of SAE in blunt splenic trauma across multiple Italian trauma centers. Materials and Methods: This retrospective multicenter study analyzed data from 281 patients undergoing emergency SAE for blunt splenic trauma between January 2019 and December 2021. Demographics, imaging findings, embolization techniques, complications, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess predictors of splenectomy. Results: The technical success rate was 100%, with a 9.6% rate of post-embolization splenectomy and a complication rate of 24.9% (including 5.7% splenic infarction and 3.2% rebleeding). Embolization was performed proximally (46.6%), distally (28.8%), or with a combined approach (24.6%). No significant correlation was found between embolization technique and splenectomy rate. Patients with AAST grade III injuries benefited from SAE with high technical success and low failure rates. Notably, 14.2% of patients underwent angiography despite negative CT, with a splenectomy rate of 10% in this subgroup. Multivariate analysis identified no independent predictors of splenectomy. Conclusions: SAE is a reliable and effective tool in the management of blunt splenic trauma, achieving high splenic salvage rates even in selected grade III injuries and CT-negative patients. In an era of precision medicine, interventional radiology should be regarded as a distinct and specific treatment modality, comparable to surgery, rather than being merely included within non-operative management (NOM).