Introducing PHIL (precipitating hydrophobic injectable liquid) - a new embolic agent for the body interventional radiologist.

A number of embolic agents are currently available each with their own properties. Precipitating hydrophobic injectable liquid (PHIL) is a new dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) compatible embolic agent with a number of specific properties which make it of interest to interventional radiologists. We review the use of PHIL in a non-neurointerventional setting, describing its use in a range of procedures such as trauma embolization, pseudoaneurysm embolization, and tumor embolization. PHIL's properties include a lack of skin discoloration, the possibility of rapid injection and a lack of glare artifact on follow-up computed tomography imaging. These properties make it an important new tool in the armamentarium of the body interventional radiologist.