HEMOTHORAX DUE TO HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA RUPTURE SUCCESSFULLY CONTROLLED BY TRANSCATHETER ARTERIAL EMBOLIZATION

A 64-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with multiple hepatocel lular carcinoma (HCC) lesions in the liver and lung. On the seventh ho spital day, a chest radiograph showed a marked increase in right pleur al effusion. A thoracentesis revealed a haemothorax. Despite repeated pleural taps and blood transfusions, the patient's clinical status wor sened and he developed severe dyspnoea. An inferior phrenic arteriogra phy on the 19th hospital day showed a tumour growing over the diaphrag m into the right thoracic cavity, suggesting a tumour rupture. A trans catheter arterial embolization (TAE) of the inferior phrenic artery su ccessfully controlled the bleeding and improved the haemothorax. There was no rebleeding; however, the patient died of advanced HCC 3 months later. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a haemothorax seco ndary ro a ruptured HCC that was treated successfully with TAE.