Multislice computed tomographic angiography for preinterventional planning of port placement for intra-arterial...

To determine the impact of preinterventional multislice computed tomographic angiography (MSCTA) on the interventional management of patients scheduled for hepatic port placement.

A total of 21 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer confined to the liver were referred for interventional placement of an intra-arterial hepatic port system and underwent triphasic MSCT of the abdomen. The arterial phase images were processed to reveal the arterial anatomy, to identify anomalies, and to prospectively plan the interventional management. Ten anatomical characteristics of the liver blood supply, which were considered to be crucial for the interventional procedure, were analyzed per patient (presence, origin, and configuration of liver arteries, angles, and distances to connected vessels). Based on these data, 6 predictions on the interventional procedure were made, including final catheter position, catheter type, the necessity for guiding catheter, expenditure of time, and the need for changing the standard implantation procedure. All findings were correlated with catheter angiography during the port placement.

Normal vascular anatomy of the hepatic arteries was seen in 43% of the patients. As vascular variants, most frequently, we found an accessory right artery (19%), a replaced right artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery (14%), or a left hepatic artery, fed by the left gastric artery, in combination with a middle hepatic artery arising from the right hepatic artery (10%). The correct detailed anatomical description compared with angiographic findings was provided by an MSCTA image analysis in 20 of 21 patients (sensitivity = 0.98, specificity = 0.99; chi2 = 1.024, P = 0.311; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 95.24; 76.18-99.88). The prospective planning of the angiographic management, including the appropriate choice of the port catheter based on MSCTA, was correct in 17 of 21 patients (sensitivity = 0.71, specificity = 0.76; chi2 = 2.487, P = 0.115; 95% CI = 80.95; 58.09-94.55).

The MSCTA is effective for planning interventional port implantation in patients considered for hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy.