Use of color ultrasound in percutaneous intravascular ethanol injection into the supplying vessel of a hepatocellular carcinoma: Report of a case

Percutaneous ethanol injection is effective in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) smaller than 3 cm in size. For HCC larger than 3 cm, percutaneous intravascular ethanol injection into a tumor supplying vessel was found to be a satisfactory method of palliative management. As it was difficult to localize and insert a needle accurately into the vessel, the technique was conducted under color ultrasound guidance. The percutaneous injection of intravascular ethanol in a case of HCC measuring 10 cm in diameter is described here.