[Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy using W-spiral (WS) catheter]

The authors investigated the usefulness of W-Spiral (WS) catheters for hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) chemotherapy especially from the viewpoint of a removable catheter after cessation of chemotherapy. A WS catheter was successfully inserted into the hepatic artery without a coil fixation in 40 out of 47 patients with hepatic malignant disease. A stable position of the catheter tip was maintained throughout the period in all cases. In 20 patients, the catheter was easily and uneventfully removed after chemotherapy, which resulted in improved patients' quality of life. An electron microscope examination revealed that there was no fibrin network formation on the surface of the catheter. Stenosis of the hepatic artery was confirmed in 7 out of 12 patients with 5 Fr catheter by 3DCT angiography, whereas patency of the artery was well preserved in 7 of 8 cases with 3.3 Fr catheter. This catheter has a special shape-memory alloy in its tip, which allows a preferable fixation without coils and removal of the catheter if desired. HAI using this catheter and subsequent removal of it is a reasonable strategy especially for patients who need limited courses of chemotherapy.