Definitive treatment of focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver by ethanol embolization.

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a benign, usually asymptomatic liver tumor with no predisposition to spontaneous hemorrhage. Treatment is not mandatory unless large size, compression symptoms, or fear of traumatic hemorrhage indicate otherwise. Ethanol embolotherapy offers a safe and effective alternative to surgery. FNH lends itself particularly well to embolotherapy because it is usually fed by a single end-artery with no intratumoral arteriovenous shunting or parasitic blood supply. An illustrative case is presented. Diagnosis was established by ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scan, radionuclide scan, and arteriography and was confirmed by biopsy. Ethanol embolization resulted in shrinkage of a 10 x 14 cm tumor to a 1.5-cm calcified nodule over an 18-month period.