transarterial

Transarterial refers to procedures or therapies delivered through the arterial system to reach a target tissue. In interventional radiology, the term describes catheter-based approaches that navigate arteries from a peripheral access site to the vessels supplying a lesion, enabling targeted treatment while sparing surrounding structures.

The procedure generally involves arterial access via the femoral or radial artery, selective catheterization of the relevant artery, and the use of microcatheters for superselective delivery. Therapeutic agents may be embolic materials, chemotherapeutic drugs, radioactive isotopes, or combinations thereof, delivered directly at the target site.

Common transarterial interventions include transarterial embolization (TAE), which blocks blood flow to a region to control hemorrhage or shrink tumors; transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), which combines embolization with local chemotherapy; and transarterial radioembolization (TARE), which delivers radioactive microspheres to the tumor vasculature. The transarterial route is also used for non-oncologic indications, such as uterine artery embolization for fibroids or selective arterial embolization to manage bleeding from various sources.

Applications and outcomes vary with the lesion and organ involved. Transarterial approaches are frequently used for liver tumors (such as hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic disease), neuroendocrine tumors, and other organ-directed therapies. They can be palliative or, in some cases, part of curative or downstaging strategies when surgery is not feasible, offering high local efficacy with limited systemic exposure.

Risks include non-target embolization, vascular injury, contrast reactions, infection, pain and fever after treatment, and radiation exposure in radiotherapeutic procedures. Careful patient selection, planning, and operator expertise are important to optimize safety and effectiveness.