Percutaneous Ethanol (Alcohol) Injection of Liver
How is percutaneous alcohol injection done
and how does it work?
In this technique, pure alcohol is injected into liver cancers to kill the
cancer cells. The alcohol is injected through the skin (percutaneously) into the
tumor using a very thin needle with the help of ultrasound or CT visual
guidance. Alcohol induces tumor destruction by drawing water out of tumor cells
(dehydrating them) and thereby altering (denaturing) the structure of cellular
proteins. It may take up to five or six sessions of injections to
completely destroy the cancer.
Which patients are treated with percutaneous alcohol
injection?
The ideal patient for alcohol injection has fewer than three Hepatocellular
Carcinoma (HCC) tumors, each of which is:
- well defined (distinct margins)
- less than 3cm in diameter
- surrounded by a shell consisting of scar tissue
(fibrous encapsulation)
- not near the surface of the liver
Additionally, patients with HCC undergoing alcohol injection should have no
signs of chronic liver failure, such as ascites or jaundice. (Patients with
liver failure would not be able to tolerate the alcohol injections.)
What are the side effects of percutaneous
alcohol injection?
The most common side effect of alcohol injection is leakage of alcohol onto
the surface of the liver and into the abdominal cavity, thereby causing pain and
fever. It is important that the location of the tumor relative to the adjacent
blood vessels and bile ducts is clearly identified. The reason for needing to
locate these structures is to avoid injuring them during the procedure and
causing bleeding, bile duct inflammation, or bile leakage.
To read more about Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), please read the
MedicineNet.com Liver Cancer (Hepatocellular Carcinoma) article.
Medical Author: Tse-Ling Fong, M.D.
Medical Editor: Leslie J. Schoenfield, M.D.,
Ph.D.
Last Editorial Review: 4/24/2002
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