Pressure Gradient-Driven Embolization b-TACE for HCC: Technical and Diagnostic Step-by-Step Procedural Guide and Literature Review

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Transarterial therapies represent an important tool in the management of different clinical scenarios, from a patient with a single nodule to a patient with multinodular disease. Up to 30% of patients are diagnosed with intermediate-stage HCC, and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) represents the mainstay of treatment. Overall survival in patients with HCC undergoing TACE is strongly influenced by obtaining a sustained complete response, which is strongly affected by the HCC’s dimension. Methods: Pressure gradient-driven embolization, achieved by employing a microballoon catheter in the balloon-occluded TACE (bTACE), represents the most novel innovation in the field of transarterial therapies in the last decade. In fact, bTACE, thanks to its ability to redistribute flow towards tumor territories, can allow higher chemotherapeutic drug concentrations, leading to better oncological performance, especially in patients in which standard TACE struggles to obtain a complete response. Conclusions: This technical and diagnostic intraprocedural step-by-step guide, discussed with a review of the existing literature, will enable readers to achieve an optimal procedure and to convey to their patients the full clinical benefits of these procedures.