Transradial and transfemoral access in hepatic artery chemoembolization in patients with hepatic malignancies

Objective. To evaluate the potential and prospects of the transradial approach as an alternative to the transfemoral approach during hepatic artery chemoembolization (HAE) in the treatment of patients with liver malignancies. Material and methods . Patients, who underwent CEPA, were divided into two groups depending on the arterial access: through the radial artery (first group) or through the femoral artery (second group). Next, a retrospective analysis of the clinical indicators and effectiveness of this treatment method, technical aspects and complication rates, was carried out when comparing the use of given groups in patients who underwent CEPA. Results . The study showed that the radial approach provided superior technical results and clinical effectiveness. Patients with radial access had a significantly lower incidence of hepatic artery spasms and spent less time in the hospital in the postoperative period. However, pain scores assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) remained statistically similar in both groups. The use of the radial approach for CEPA also resulted in a significant reduction in the overall complication rate (72.5 % versus 84.1 % with the transfemoral approach, P = 0.027). Conclusion. Our results confirm that the radial approach is an effective, safer, and promising alternative to the femoral approach for CEPA in patients with liver malignancies.