Portal vein embolization (PVE) is a procedure used to increase the volume of the future liver-procedures remnant (FLR) before surgery. It is typically used for patients with liver-procedures cancer who require surgery but have a small liver-procedures volume, which puts them at risk for postoperative liver-procedures failure.
During the procedure, a catheter is inserted into the portal vein, which is the main vein that carries blood to the liver-procedures. The catheter is then used to inject small particles or substances that block blood flow to a portion of the liver-procedures, causing that part of the liver-procedures to shrink while the remaining liver-procedures grows and compensates.
PVE is typically performed under local anaesthesia or mild sedation. Patients usually stay in the hospital for 1-2 days for observation. Possible side effects of PVE include pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting, but these are usually mild and short-lived.
PVE has been shown to be an effective method for increasing the FLR volume and reducing the risk of postoperative liver-procedures failure in patients with small liver-procedures volumes. However, it may not be suitable for all patients and should be discussed with a healthcare provider to determine if it is a suitable treatment option for the individual case.
After PVE, patients typically undergo a follow-up imaging study to evaluate the growth of the FLR before proceeding with surgery. The timing of the surgery will depend on the rate of growth of the FLR and the patient’s overall health.
