Objective To assess the relationship between the hepatic vein Lipiodol tram-track sign during transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and perioperative death. Methods Patients treated for hepatic carcinoma at the Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2010 to December 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. The patients underwent hepatic TACE with Lipiodol. The incidence of the hepatic vein Lipiodol tram-track sign, prognosis, and possible risk factors were analyzed. Results A total of 5372 patients underwent hepatic TACE and had complete available intraoperative imaging data. Among them, nine patients showed the hepatic vein Lipiodol tram-track sign, including five who died intraoperatively. The patients who died had liver metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, or breast cancer and had previously received doxorubicin. The survivors had metastasis from gastric or colorectal cancer and had not received doxorubicin. Conclusion Occurrence of the hepatic vein Lipiodol tram-track sign during hepatic TACE is likely to result in perioperative death.
Keywords: Tram-track sign; liver metastasis; perioperative death; primary liver cancer; transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.