[Blood supply of hepatic carcinomas and its clinical significance]

Parasitic blood supply in 85 patients with hepatic carcinoma was demonstrated by selective angiography and CT. The hepatic carcinomas in the posterior segment of the right hepatic lobe and the lateral segment of the left hepatic lobe were partially fed by the inferior phrenic arteries in 48 patients. The hepatic carcinomas in the inferior portion of the right hepatic lobe were partially fed by the omental arteries in 37 patients. The development of parasitic blood supply depends more upon the location of the tumor than the occlusion of hepatic artery. Although the hepatic artery is occluded, the tumor may still receive blood supply from its parasitic arteries and continue to grow steadily. Therefore, in patients with double arterial blood supply, transcatheter double arterial (hepatic artery and parasitic arteries) infusion and embolization (TDAIE) should be applied for treatment. TDAIE was used in 33 of 85 cases and the preliminary result was quite satisfactory.