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Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous transhepatic portal vein embolization of the right portal vein with an Ethibloc/Lipiodol mixture to induce hypertrophy of the left liver lobe in patients with primarily unresectable liver tumor. Methods: 15 patients (8 primary liver tumors, 7 liver metastases) underwent portal vein embolization. Liver volumetry, duration of hospitalization, complication rates, relevant laboratory values were documented. Results: In 13/15 patients (84.6%) embolization could be performed with a median of 8.8 ml (range 1.5–28 ml) Ethibloc/Lipiodol. One minor procedure-related complication (subcapsular hematoma) occurred, which did not affect the two-step liver resection. No patient developed acute liver failure after embolization or liver resection. The volume of the left liver lobe increased significantly (p = 0.0015) by 25% from a median of 750 ml (587–1,114 ml) to 967 ml (597–1,249 ml). 11/13 (81.8%) of the embolized patients underwent liver resection at a median of 49 days after embolization. Median hospitalization time was 4 days after embolization and 7 days after liver resection. Median overall survival of the 11 operated patients was 376 days. Conclusion: Percutaneous transhepatic portal vein embolization using an Ethibloc/Lipiodol mixture is a safe, feasible, and efficient interventional procedure.

Capillary chemoembolization represents an effective concept for ablation of malignant renal tumors. It offers control of tumor growth in case of temporary inoperability as well as cessation of hematuria in a palliative situation. Because of the local ablative efficiency, it may still represent a minimally invasive option in advanced stages of renal carcinoma (i.e., in combination with immunochemotherapy or targeted therapy).

Impaired portal perfusion decreased the uptake of SPIO in histopathologically normal regions of liver parenchyma. Resultant differences in signal intensity were better visualized on GRE than on turbo SE images.

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