Percutaneous ethanol injection as a possible curative treatment for malignant portal vein thrombosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Postoperative residual hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with malignant portal vein thrombosis in a 48-year-old man was cured with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for the parenchymal portion and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) for the malignant portal vein thrombosis. No evidence of tumor recurrence was noted after 18 months of follow-up. The only severe complication in our patient was biliary stricture which was treated with an internal stent via endoscopic retrograde pancreatico-cholangiography (ERCP).