Liver Infarction after Drug-Eluting Embolic Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Setting of a Large Portosystemic Shunt

Safety and Efficacy of Segmental Yttrium-90 Radioembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation

PURPOSE

To evaluate safety and efficacy of segmental yttrium-90 (Y90) radioembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement. The hypothesis was liver sparing segmental Y90 for HCC after TIPS would provide high antitumor response with a tolerable safety profile.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This single-arm retrospective study included 39 patients (16 women, 23 men) with ages 49-81 years old who were treated with Y90. Child-Pugh A/B liver dysfunction was present in 72% (28/39) with a median Model for End-stage Liver Disease score of 18 (95% confidence interval, 16.4-19.4). Primary outcomes were clinical and biochemical toxicities and antitumor imaging response by World Health Organization (WHO) and European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) criteria. Secondary outcomes were orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), time to progression (TTP), and overall survival (OS) estimates by the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

The 30-day mortality was 0%. Grade 3+ clinical adverse events and grade 3+ hyperbilirubinemia occurred in 5% (2/39) and 0% (0/39), respectively. Imaging response was achieved in 58% (22/38, WHO criteria) and 74% (28/38, EASL criteria), respectively. Median TTP was 16.1 months for any cause and 27.5 months for primary index lesions. OLT was completed in 88% (21/24) of listed patients at a median time of 6.1 months (range, 0.9-11.7 months). Median OS was 31.6 months and 62.9 months censored and uncensored to OLT, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Segmental Y90 for HCC appears safe and efficacious in patients after TIPS. Preserved transplant eligibility suggests that Y90 is a useful tool for bridging these patients to liver transplantation.

Unexplained huge liver infarction presenting as a tumor with bleeding: A case report

BACKGROUND

Liver infarction is a rare necrotic lesion due to the dual blood supply consisting of the hepatic artery and portal vein. The absence of specific clinical manifestations and imaging appearances usually leads to misdiagnosis and poor prognosis. Thus, the precise diagnosis of liver infarction always requires imaging studies, serum studies, and possible liver biopsy.

CASE SUMMARY

We report a case of 31-year-old man who developed a huge liver infarction. Persistent right upper abdominal pain and intermittent fever were the main symptoms in this patient. Computed tomography revealed a huge irregular lesion with a maximum diameter of 12.7 cm in the right lobe of the liver. Three-dimensional reconstruction was performed and no significant interruption of the main hepatic vessels was observed. The lesion was initially considered to be a malignant tumor with internal bleeding. Laparoscopic right hepatectomy was performed, and pathology indicated a rare liver infarction. The patient recovered well and was discharged on postoperative day 21. No fever or abnormal liver function were reported in the subsequent 6 mo.

CONCLUSION

In patients with a huge liver infarction, early surgical intervention may be beneficial.

Transarterial Delivery of a Biodegradable Single-Agent Theranostic Nanoprobe for Liver Tumor Imaging and Combinatorial Phototherapy

PURPOSE

To assess selective accumulation of biodegradable nanoparticles within hepatic tumors after transarterial delivery for in vivo localization and combinatorial phototherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A VX2 hepatic tumor model was used in New Zealand white rabbits. Transarterial delivery of silicon naphthalocyanine biodegradable nanoparticles was performed using a microcatheter via the proper hepatic artery. Tumors were exposed via laparotomy, and nanoparticles were observed by near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging. For phototherapy, a handheld NIR laser (785 nm) at 0.6 W/cm² was used to expose tumor or background liver, and tissue temperatures were assessed with a fiberoptic temperature probe. Intratumoral reactive oxygen species formation was assessed using a fluorophore (2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate).

RESULTS

Nanoparticles selectively accumulated within viable tumor by NIR fluorescence. Necrotic portions of tumor did not accumulate nanoparticles, consistent with a vascular distribution. NIR-dependent heat generation was observed with nanoparticle-containing tumors, but not in background liver. No heat was generated in the absence of NIR laser light. Reactive oxygen species were formed in nanoparticle-containing tumors exposed to NIR laser light, but not in background liver treated with NIR laser or in tumors in the absence of NIR light.

CONCLUSIONS

Biodegradable nanoparticle delivery to liver tumors from a transarterial approach enabled selective in vivo tumor imaging and combinatorial phototherapy.