ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the curative effects of portal vein tumor emboli(PVTE)of hepatocellular carcinoma treated by CT-guided percutaneous ethanol injection(PEI).Methods Absolute ethanol was injected into the tumor embolus of portal vein guided by CT in twenty patients with hepatocellular carcinomas.The procedure was carried out one or two times each week one to three times as a course and one to two courses for a patient.The interval between two courses was one month and the patients were followed up for 6 months-5 years.Results Among the twenty patients,17(85%)were improved in different degrees after the treatment,with disappearence of the tumor emboli in 2(10%)and size stability or even smaller in 15 (75%),and finally no response in 3(15%).Conclusions CT-guided PEI is an effective method for patient with PVTE and proper selection of patient for the procedure is the key to obtain better curative effects.