Control of carcinoid syndrome with hepatic artery embolization.

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Abstract
Eighteen patients with metastatic carcinoid were treated by hepatic artery embolization with Gelfoam or polyvinyl alcohol foam for control of the carcinoid syndrome. Seventeen showed subjective or objective clinical improvement, including less skin flushing, diarrhea and bronchospasm. Fourteen showed improvement in biochemical indices, including decreased urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels. The mean life span of the treated patients from the 1st episode of flushing to the time of this report was 5.4 yr and 1/2 of the patients are still alive. This survival time compares favorably with previous reports of survival of 3.2 yr from the onset of flushing.