Interventional
Treatments for Liver Disease
There are a number of
problems in the liver that can be treated with nonsurgical,
interventional radiology techniques.
Portal
Hypertension
Seen most frequently in patients with liver disease such as
cirrhosis or hepatitis, portal hypertension is a condition in
which the normal flow of blood through the liver is slowed or
blocked by scarring or other damage. Patients with the condition
are at risk of internal bleeding or other life-threatening
complications.
Interventional
radiologists treat portal hypertension without surgery,
using a procedure called TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic
portosystemic shunt). The doctor threads a thin tube
(catheter) through a small incision in the skin near the
neck and guides it to the blocked blood vessels in the
liver. Under X-ray guidance, the doctor creates a tunnel
in the liver through which the blocked blood can flow.
The tunnel is held open by the insertion of a small metal
cylinder, called a stent. |
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Bile
Duct Obstruction
In some patients, such as those with liver cancer or individuals
who have had an injury to the liver, the bile ducts become
blocked and bile cannot drain from the liver. The interventional
radiologist places a thin tube (catheter) through the skin and
into the bile ducts to drain the bile. In some cases, a small
metal cylinder, called a stent, is placed in the liver to hold
the blocked area open. A catheter may also be placed to drain
bile in patients who have a hole in the bile ducts or as
preparation for surgery on the bile ducts.
Chemoembolization is
a palliative treatment for liver cancer. This can be a cancer originating in the liver or a cancer that has spread ("metastasized") to the liver from other areas in the body. During Chemoembolization, three chemotherapy drugs are injected directly into the artery that supplies blood to the tumor in the liver. The artery is then blocked off ("embolized") with a mixture of oil and tiny particles.
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