A Case of Pediatric Stage IIIb Liver Injury Successfully Treated With Transcatheter Arterial Embolization and Open Abdominal Management Using ABTHERA^®

Abstract

There have been only a few reports of open abdominal management (OAM) using ABTHERA^® in children. We report a case in which transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and OAM using ABTHERA^® were performed for severe liver injury in a child, and the patient’s condition improved without liver resection. A 10-year-old boy was transported to our hospital after accidentally falling off a playground equipment and sustaining a bruised abdomen. On the basis of the results of contrast-enhanced CT, we diagnosed the patient as having severe liver injury. Although his hemodynamics were stabilized with rapid infusion, TAE was unable to completely stop bleeding. We suspected non-arterial bleeding, so we performed damage control surgery (DCS). While performing OAM using ABTHERA^®, the patient was transferred to a higher-level medical institution and underwent second-look surgery, and he was saved without any complications. We used ABTHERA^® for the first time in a child with severe liver injury. It was effective in children because it allowed us to quickly control bleeding and contamination and implement a planned DCS strategy.