Intra-Arterial Embolization in Benign Liver Tumors: Why is It Useful to Perform This?

Benign liver tumors occur frequently, and are often encountered incidentally as a consequence of the widespread use of imaging tests and often have a benign course. They are a heterogeneous group of lesions with different cellular origin. In most cases, they are accurately diagnosed by non-invasive radiologic imaging techniques. The most common benign hepatic tumors include cavernous hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia and hepatic adenoma. The majority is asymptomatic, but some cause hepatomegaly, right upper quadrant discomfort, or intraperitoneal hemorrhage and treatment is necessary only in a few of these specific circumstances [1].