Emergency transcatheter embolization of ruptured hepatocellular carcinomas with tortuous conventional or aberrant hepatic vascular anatomy, or parasitic supply.

Emergency transcatheter embolization is a well-recognized measure to manage patients with life-threatening haemoperitoneum due to spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma. Traditional embolization technique is to embolize the proper hepatic artery or the segmental hepatic artery by femoral approach using gelfoam pledgets. From 1997 to 2004, in 19 out of 96 embolizations, the embolization technique had to be modified because of tortuous conventional or aberrant hepatic vascular anatomy or parasitic supply to achieve successful embolization.