Y-90 GLASS MICROSPHERES INJECTED VIA THE PORTAL-VEIN - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY

Nondegradable glass microspheres (35 mu) were injected into the portal vein for toxicity test in 15 rabbits. In 10 animals the microspheres were loaded with Y-90, giving liver absorbed doses between 24.6 and 43 7.4 Gy, and in 5 with Y-89 (control group). The total amount of micros pheres injected in each animal varied between 35 and 140 mg. The rabbi ts in the experimental group tolerated the effect of radioembolization in a dose 4 times higher than the upper limit of the clinical dose (1 00 Gy). After injection of Y-90 glass microspheres into the portal vei n of rats with diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatic carcinoma, the microspheres, in addition to the liver parenchyma, accumulated in cen tral and peripheral parts of the cancer nodules, causing necrosis. The internal radiation therapy of Y-90 glass microspheres delivered via t he portal vein may be an effective nonsurgical method for the treatmen t of liver cancer, especially in small nodules.