Abstract
Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) was performed for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 26 patients with encapsulated HCC, defined by observations with angiography and the therapeutic effects were compared among subclassified types, truly-encapsulated and pseudo-encapsulated types. The tumor size was significantly larger in HCC with pseudo-encapsulated type than with the other type, and the reduction rate in tumor size after TAE was higher for HCC with truly-encapsulated type. However, there was no correlation between tumor size and reduction rate in the respective types. In only 3 of 12 patients with truly-encapsulated HCC, incompletely obstructed forms of tumor thrombosis were found in the 2nd branches of portal vein alone and all patients with pseudo-encapsulated HCC had complete or incomplete forms of tumor thrombosis in the 2nd branches of the portal vein. The reduction rate in tumor size after TAE was related only to the presence or absence of tumor thrombosis and to the complete or incomplete forms in the 2nd branches of the portal vein. We concluded that tumor size and tumor thrombosis in the portal vein should be examined to determine clinical indications for the treatment of HCC with TAE.
