Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of preoperative embolization with a variety of embolic agents for intracranial hemangioblastomas.Methods Fifty-four patients who were diagnosed with intracranial hemangioblastomas from October 2009 to October 2013 were enrolled, among whom 24 patients underwent preoperative embolization with embolic agents (observation group) and 30 underwent conventional surgical treatment (control group).Results The patients' basic information showed no significant difference between the observation group and the control group. Intraoperative blood loss showed a significant difference between the observation group and the control group (335±21 ml vs 540±32 ml, P=0.001), and the time of operation showed no significant difference between the two groups (8.35 h vs 11.2 h, P>0.05). Of all the patients in the observation group, 23(95%) experienced partial embolization. In the observation group, postoperative complications were cerebral infarction (1 case), rebleeding (1 case), and neurological deficit (1 case), and the incidence rate was 12.5%. In the control group, postoperative complications were cerebral edema (1 case) and neurological deficit (1 case), and the incidence rate was 6.7%. The incidence of postoperative complications showed no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.23).Conclusions The patients with intracranial hemangioblastomas who undergo preoperative embolization have a high degree of embolization and significantly reduced intraoperative blood loss, and there is no significant increase in the incidence of complications such as postoperative rebleeding, cerebral infarction, neurological deficit, and cerebral edema. Therefore, preoperative embolization has good efficacy and safety and can be used for the treatment of hemangioblastomas.