[Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy using a subcutaneously implanted silicone reservoir--with special reference to...

Sixty patients with advanced cancers were treated with intraarterial infusion chemotherapy using a subcutaneously implanted silicone reservoir. Forty-nine patients were catheterized from a branch of the left subclavian artery. The results were as follows. (1) In spite of some technical difficulties, catheterization from a branch of the left subclavian artery was minimally invasive, and catheter trouble using this route was less frequent than that occurring when the profound femoral arterial route was employed. (2) Implantation of the catheter end using a silicone reservoir liberated the patients from restrictions in their daily lives, and with this method, intraarterial infusion chemotherapy could be carried out easily when required without hospitalization. We conclude that this procedure is a beneficial method of intraarterial infusion chemotherapy for patients with advanced cancers.