# Development of a Quantitative Angiography Technique for Characterizing Hepatic Perfusion Changes in Response to Embolization

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2020 · $34,087

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Liver cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer death worldwide. For intermediate-stage disease, intra-arterial
therapies, such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), are the mainstay treatment. In TACE, targeted
delivery of chemotherapeutic agents and embolic particles block tumor feeding arteries to increase both drug
delivery and cause tumor necrosis. TACE can prolong survival, palliate symptoms, or serve as a bridge to liver
transplantation. During TACE, angiographic monitoring of residual tumoral blood flow is critical and the degree
of stasis achieved directly impacts patient outcomes, including survival. Currently, there are no objective,
standardized intra-procedural methods for determining the optimal embolization endpoint. Instead,
interventional radiologists rely on visual assessment of blood flow stasis and decreased perfusion to determine
when to end an embolization. This subjective assessment is not reproducible and can lead to
underembolization (insufficient tumor necrosis) or overembolization (damage to surrounding liver tissue), which
can ultimately increase mortality.
The objective of this proposal is to develop an intraprocedural quantitative digital subtraction angiography
(qDSA) technique that can characterize hepatic perfusion changes in response to embolization. The proposed
technique extracts blood flow information from DSA images that are routinely acquired during a TACE
procedure. In our first aim, we will develop an optimized qDSA method that characterizes changes in hepatic
arterial blood flow and perfusion in response to embolization. This will be done using in vitro phantom models
and in vivo porcine models to identify optimal imaging parameters to characterize the nature of flow reduction
in response to embolization. We will then perform embolizations in an in vivo porcine model to partial and
complete stasis endpoints, and correlate the flow reduction using qDSA with the degree of perfusion changes
using histopathology. In the second aim, we will use a rabbit liver tumor model to correlate flow reduction using
qDSA with the degree of intratumoral perfusion changes and tissue response on histopathology. Successful
demonstration of such a technique would serve as the first objective, standardized, and intra-procedural
method for determining TACE endpoints. This would significantly improve the safety and efficacy of the
procedure in the treatment of liver tumors.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9989543
- **Project number:** 1F30CA250408-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarvesh Periyasamy
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $34,087
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9989543

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9989543, Development of a Quantitative Angiography Technique for Characterizing Hepatic Perfusion Changes in Response to Embolization (1F30CA250408-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9989543. Licensed CC0.

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