Transfemoral approach TACE technique in orthotopic PDX hepatocellular carcinoma models of nude rats.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a standard minimally invasive treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, technical reports on TACE in nude rat orthotopic patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) HCC models are lacking. This study aimed to establish the technical feasibility and procedural parameters of transfemoral TACE in this clinically relevant model. Six male Foxn1rnu nude rats (average body weight: 307±28.3 g, range, 273-350 g) with established orthotopic PDX HCC [average tumor diameter: 6.2±0.8 mm, confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] underwent transfemoral TACE performed by two experienced interventional radiologists. A 1.2 Fr microcatheter and 0.008-inch micro-guidewire were used for femoral artery cannulation, celiac trunk angiography, and selective hepatic arterial catheterization. An iodized oil and idarubicin emulsion (dose ≤2 mg/kg) was administered as the chemoembolic agent. Technical success, defined as the successful completion of all procedural steps without procedure-related mortality or major complications, was achieved in all cases (6/6). Procedural efficiency was quantified using four time metrics: duration from skin incision to femoral artery exposure (T1: 4.1±1.2 min; range, 2.5-6.0 min), femoral artery cannulation time (T2: 4.5±1.5 min; range, 3.0-7.5 min), hepatic artery catheterization time (T3: 4.5±1.5 min; range, 2.5-6.4 min), and total procedural time from incision to wound closure (T4: 39.3±7.1 min; range, 29.0-48.0 min). Anatomical variations in celiac trunk origin exhibiting "U", "C", or "L" configurations were observed between the L1 and L2 vertebral levels. No anesthesia-related complications or major bleeding occurred. These findings demonstrate the technical feasibility and reproducibility of transfemoral TACE in small-sized, low-body-weight nude rat orthotopic PDX HCC models, providing technical support and a reference for transcatheter arterial approaches in such models.