IN VITRO CHARACTERIZATION OF PORTAL VEIN EMBOLIZATION BY INJECTION OF SURGICAL GLUE

Abstract

Glue embolization is a therapeutic treatment technique used to block the blood flow to specific targeted sites. It is achieved by injecting surgical glues that polymerize in contact with blood. One application concerns patients suffering from malignant liver tumors, who need to undergo partial liver ablation [deBaere 1996, Azoulay 1996]. When the volume of the remnant liver part is not sufficient, preoperative portal vein embolization is used to arrest blood flow in the liver part to be resected. This induces the hypertrophy of the remnant liver and enables the ablation procedure after a couple of weeks. Embolotherapy is currently based on empiric knowledge and therefore relies on the clinicians’ experience and competence. To reduce the risks associated with the medical procedure, there is a need for a better understanding of the mechanical and chemical processes that govern the behavior of glue once injected. Neglecting the polymerizing effects, we have recently shown that either drops or jets form at the tip of the catheter, each corresponding to a different regimes of ejection (dripping and jetting) [Sandulache 2011]; the dripping-to-jetting transition is governed by the Weber number of the disperse phase Wed, which is the ratio of its inertial to interfacial forces. The present objective is to have a more realistic in vitro simulation of the medical procedure and to study the influence of polymerization on the dynamics of glue ejection.