Percutaneous transfemoral arterial infusion chemotherapy for metastatic liver tumors--placement of 3 Fr balloon catheters.

A 3 Fr single lumen balloon catheter was successfully introduced for arterial infusion chemotherapy by percutaneous transfemoral arterial insertion. This balloon catheter was combined with a 6.3 Fr outer catheter coaxially. After placing the catheter into the target artery, the balloon was ruptured by injecting 1 ml of contrast medium. Alternatively, the balloon was made into a leaky balloon catheter by a small needle puncture before use. In 34 patients with liver tumors, we used this method combined with the continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil for three to five weeks and once-a-week intra-arterial administration of mitomycin C and adriamycin. The result of this therapy was as follows: CR, 8.8%; PR, 29.4%; NC, 50.0%; and PD, 11.8%. No serious complications were encountered in our series except for some minor arterial problems caused by the catheter tip.