COMPULSORY SUPERSELECTIVE ARTERIAL EMBOLIZATION IN HYPOVASCULAR LOCALHEPATIC TUMOR ABLATION - MICROBALLOON COAXIAL CATHETERIZATION

We performed compulsory superselective transcatheter arterial emboliza tion on local hypovascular liver metastases under balloon occlusion us ing a l-mm (3 F) coaxial microballoon catheter in 2 cases. One case wa s a metastasis from breast cancer (maximum diameter 5.5 cm) at segment 7. The other case comprised metastases from rectal cancer (maximum di ameter 8 cm) at segments 7 and 8. Absolute ethanol (50%) mixed with Li piodol (50%) was used for embolization. No major treatment-related com plications occurred. No local recurrence was observed in either case i n follow-up CT and MR studies of up to 16 and 9 months respectively. T his technique may thus be applied as an alternative to surgical resect ion in the treatment of local hypovascular liver tumors.