Intra- and peri-hepatic effects of ethanol injections in the pig liver

We studied the intrahepatic (spread and scarring) and perihepatic effects of percutaneous ethanol injection therapy and its dose-necrosis relationship in normal pig livers. Ethanol (99.5%) was injected in volumes of 0.5-2.0 ml into the livers of six pigs during laparotomy. The livers were dissected and studied histopathologically 30 min and 2 weeks after the injections. Ethanol-induced liver necrosis, the diameter of which could roughly be calculated by dividing the injected dose by 2 (inversely: volume (ml) = 2 x diameter (cm)). Two weeks after the injections all pigs showed intra-abdominal adhesions and severe intrahepatic scar formation, unlike three control pigs similarly operated on without ethanol injections. The 30-min lesions showed thin projections extending into the neighboring liver tissue. Major escape of ethanol outside the needle tip area in the liver occurred twice. Uncontrolled spread of ethanol may be a potential hazard of this treatment.