Palmaz-Schatz stent for hepatic artery stenosis during hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy.

Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy using an implantable port system was performed on a 40 year-old man with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. When the in-dwelling catheter was inserted into the common hepatic artery (CHA), intimal dissection occurred as a result of the catheterization causing severe stenosis. On day 55 after intimal dissection, an in-dwelling Palmaz-Schatz stent was inserted after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). CHA blood flow was shown to have improved on Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and Doppler ultrasound after the in-dwelling Palmaz-Schatz stent. Thus a partial response was shown. The DSA from the implantable port system showed adequate patency 6 months after. This is the first report describing the usefulness of a Palmaz-Schatz stent for the severe stenosis of the CHA caused by the technique of catheterization.