[Sequential hepatic artery and portal vein embolization using lipiodol-adriamycin for primary liver cancer]

Despite recent advances in hepatic surgery, management of unresectable carcinoma of the liver is still a challenging problem. From September 1988 through March 1989, 10 primary liver cancer patients were treated by hepatic artery embolization (HAE) using lipiodol-adriamycin with or without hepatic artery ligation (HAL). One of them received HAE twice in seven weeks. In two of these patients, following right HAE and HAL, right portal vein embolization (PVE) by catheterization via the ileac vein was performed. Transcatheter portal vein embolization via the ileac vein was simple, easy and safe even it was impossible to expose the hepatic hilum. All patients are alive from 7 to 12 months after operation except one who died of hepatic failure after having survived for 54 days. There was marked alleviation of symptoms and tumor shrinkage was observed in 9 out of 10 patients. HAE and PVE using lipiodol-adriamycin may have the potential of improving the therapeutic effect in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.