Hepatic artery collaterals in 40 patients who had had hepatic artery occlusion following peripheral or central embolization, surgical ligation, intra-arterial chemotherapy, or intimal injury from catheterization were studied. The collaterals were classified as intrahepatic or extrahepatic collaterals. Intrahepatic arterial collaterals develop in the portal triads and subcapsular area between the lobes of the liver. Extrahepatic arterial collaterals develop in the ligaments that suspend the liver in the peritoneal cavity and through the structures that are closely attached to the liver. A simplified angiographic classification of hepatic arterial collaterals is presented.
Seventy-two hepatic artery embolizations were performed in 47 patients to treat hepatic neoplasms. Hepatic artery embolization creates tumor devascularization, but the portal flow prevents infarction of liver parenchyma because of the single vascular supply from the hepatic artery to a neoplasm, in contrast to the dual vascular supply to the liver parenchyma. Indications for the use of hepatic artery embolization are failure of chemotherapy, either systemic or intra-arterial infusion, vascular anomalies requiring combined lobar embolization and lobar infusion, and lack of effective treatment. Three types of embolization were performed: peripheral embolization using Gelfoam, proximal embolization using coils, and combined peripheral and proximal embolization. The complications after embolization were pain, fever, and transient liver function changes. No death or hepatic abscess occurred. The median survival duration of the group was 11.5 months from the time of embolization. Hepatic artery embolization is an effective treatment of hepatic neoplasm.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.