Preoperative Portal Vein Embolization in Hepatic Surgery: A Review about the Embolic Materials and Their Effects on Liver Regeneration and Outcome

Table 1

Embolization Materials reported for portal vein embolization.

PVE material	No. of studies	No. of patients	DH	FLR absolute growth
Gelatin sponge	9	355	8.5% up to 11%	17% up to 37%
PVA	4	325	9.6% up to 10%	24% up to 45%
PVA/microspheres plus coils/VP	13	869	8.6% up to 11%	27% up to 57%
Ethanol	3	382	10.8% up to 12%	33.6% up to 40%
Fibrin glue	3	161	10%	27% up to 31%
NBCA	19	583	9% up to 13%	27% up to 74%
EVOH	2	40	10% up to 14%	53%
Ethibloc	2	34	10% up to 11%	25% up to 61%
Aethoxysklerol/air-foam	2	30	7.4% up to 8.5%	NR

PVE: portal vein embolization; PVA: polyvinyl-alcohol particles; DH: degree of hypertrophy; VP: vascular plug; NR: not reported; NBCA: n-butyl-cyanoacrylate; EVOH: ethylene vinyl alcohol; One publication reported gelatin sponge associated with other embolic material. Two publications reported also other materials for PVE in the same study. One publication reported 69% hypertrophy, but it was in patients submitted to right PVE plus segment IV. One study mixed NBCA with gelatin sponge and two studies used a vascular plug for central occlusion.