Background: Transcatheter arterial embolization is a popular palliative treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, but the incidence of post-treatment gastrointestinal bleeding is not well-defined.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 206 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who received transcatheter arterial embolization and compared them with 193 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent angiography alone.

Results: Twenty-three episodes (8.5%) of gastrointestinal bleeding occurred within 3 months of hepatic transcatheter arterial embolization following 269 procedures involving 206 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Eight episodes (3.0%) of esophageal variceal bleeding and 15 episodes (5.5%) of nonvariceal bleeding were found. The sites of the nonvariceal bleeding episodes were the stomach (n = 7), duodenum (n = 5), and colon (n = 3). When compared with other sources, bleeding from esophageal varices took place earlier, required intensive treatment, and led to a higher mortality. Among another 193 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who received angiography only, 6 patients developed gastrointestinal bleeding within 3 months (3.1%), and all bled from esophageal varices.

Conclusions: This study suggests that esophageal variceal bleeding may occur after both angiography and transcatheter arterial embolization. Nonvariceal bleeding episodes, which were usually milder than episodes of variceal bleeding, may be related to the embolization procedure itself. (Gastrointest Endosc 1996;43:132-7.)