Comparative Study of TACE with Bleomycin-Lipiodol Emulsion and Percutaneous Local Bleomycin Injection in the Treatment of Giant Hepatic Hemangioma
Background: hepatic hemangiomas, primarily affecting adults in their fourth and fifth decades, are common benign mesenchymal hepatic tumors. The management of giant hepatic hemangiomas, defined variably as greater than 4 cm to 10 cm in diameter, is a clinical challenge due to their potential size and associated symptoms. This study compares two minimally invasive treatment methods: trans-catheter arterial bleomycin chemoembolization (TACE) and ultrasound and fluoroscopy-guided transhepatic bleomycin sclerotherapy (PLIB), in the treatment of giant hepatic hemangiomas. Methods: this prospective cohort study was conducted in Baghdad, Iraq, involved 20 patients with giant hepatic hemangioma. The study assessed the efficacy of TACE and PLIB by comparing tumor size reduction, symptom improvement, changes in radiological features, laboratory parameters, and treatment-related complications. Results: the study observed no significant age difference between the two groups. Post treatment CT scans revealed different enhancement patterns between TACE and PLIB, with TACE showing more uniform ischemic effects and PLIB demonstrating a variety of enhancement patterns. Both treatments effectively reduced the size of the hemangiomas, with PLIB showing a greater reduction in mass volume than TACE. Conclusion: both TACE and PLIB are effective in reducing the size of giant hepatic heman giomas, with initial results favoring PLIB for greater volume reduction. Further studies with larger samples and longer follow-up are needed to confirm these findings and establish long-term safety and efficacy profiles for these treatments. Key words: giant hepatic hemangioma, trans-catheter arterial bleomycin chemo embolization (TACE), Percutaneous Transhepatic Bleomycin Sclerotherapy (PLIB)