Distribution of pulsed intra arterial infusion chemotherapy in hepatic carcinomas

: Evaluation of "Gianturco-Wallace chemotherapy pulser," which was developed to produce a more homogeneous drug distribution of the tumors in intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy, was assessed by comparative study of pulsed and nonpulsed arterial radionuclide infusion using Tc-99m pertechnetate for 18 cases of hepatic carcinomas (11 cases of hepatocellular carcinomas and 7 cases of metastatic hepatic carcinomas). Tc-99m pertechnetate, 740 MBq (20 mCi) diluted with saline (30 mL) was infused with or without pulse through the catheter into the hepatic artery at a rate of 1mL per minute. The intrahepatic dynamic radionuclide distribution was analyzed by the time activity curves of ROIs in the tumor and nontumor areas. Pulsed infusion interrupted laminar flow and produced more homogeneous radionuclide distribution in the liver, and combination of pulsed and nonpulsed infusion also produced better radionuclide distribution in the areas of the tumors. This method using Tc-99m pertechnetate was very useful as a simulation to determine the dynamic drug distribution of the tumor and non-tumor region in intraarterial infusion methods.