Selective accumulation , persistent deposition and gradual disappear-ance of lipiodol in hepatocellular carcinoma following hepatic arterial chemoembo1ization

Objective :This study was conducted to clarify the characteristics of selective accumulation,per-sistent deposition and gradual disappearance of lipiodol in hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) and the histopathologic morphology of tumors following transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization(TAE )。 Methods :The findings of hepatic arteriography and those of CT obtained 4 to l5 d following lipiodol-TAE were compared and analyzed in 58 cases. The deposition and disappearance of lipiodol in 28 cases were ob-served by CT dynamically, in l2 of whom, CT or soft x-ray radiograms and the findings of histological exam-ination were compared.Results :Lipiodol accumulated selectively in hypervascular tumor and the amount of lipiodol accumulation correlated with the vascularity of the tumors. There was little or no lipiodol accumula-tion in hypovascular tumors。 In the necrotic tumors areas induced by chemoembolization ,lipiodol accumulat-ed selectively and deposited persistently for 2 to 6 months and sometimes even longer , with remarkable shrinkage of tumors,whereas in the tumor survival areas,selectively accumulated as lipiodol did,it disap-peared gradually in 1 to 2 months,without remarkable shrinkage of the tumors.Lipiodol in tumor-free areas disappeared much earlier,generally 2 weeks after embolization,Conclusions : Lipiodol accumulated selective-ly in hypervascular tumor tissues and deposited persistently in necrotic tumor areas induced by embolization。Therefore, CT follow-up to observe the deposition and disappearance of lipiodol in tumors is of clinical im-portance in assessing the anti-tumor effect and in deciding the time for further treatment.