Acute Gastric Lesions Induced by Transcatheter Arterial Embolization and Intra-arterial Infusion Chemotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

: We performed an endoscopic study of the acute gastric lesions induced by transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and infusion chemotherapy (one shot infusion: OSI). Forty-eight patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma were investigated, and of them, 25 received TAE and 23 were treated with OSI. Endoscopy was performed within 1 week both before and after therapy and any gastric mucosal changes were noted. Before treatment, all patients had gastric lesions such as redness, erosion, hemorrhage and ulcer. These lesions were exacerbated or new lesions appeared after both TAE and OSI in about 50% of the subjects, and no significant difference in the incidence of lesions was observed between these two treatments. Moreover, there was no significant correlation between the exacerbation or new appearance of gastric lesions and the Child's classification, the catheter position, or the presence or absence of A-P shunt or portal thrombus. The appearance and/or exacerbation of these gastric lesions was not prevented by the administration of common antiulcer drugs before treatment. Thus the possibility that these gastric effects of TAE and OSI may occur should always be kept in mind and appropriate preventive or therapeutic measures should be adopted.