Microspheres will only be administered by doctors who are experienced in the treatment of liver tumours using SIRT.
Approximately one week after the liver angiogram, you will have a very similar procedure, during which microspheres are injected into the blood vessels around tumours.
The SIRT procedure is conducted by a medical team that includes a specialist known as an interventional radiologist, together with other specialists trained to work with radiation.
The procedure can typically take around one hour from beginning to end. Usually, you can have SIRT as an outpatient or you may need to stay in hospital overnight.
The doctor will give you an injection to numb the area around your groin and give you a sedative to help you relax. Pain relief and anti-sickness medication may be provided if you need it. As in the work-up procedure, a small cut is made in the groin through which a soft, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted and guided into the liver up a blood vessel (femoral artery) using x-ray pictures. The microspheres can be given through the catheter.
After the SIRT procedure, the catheter is removed. You will have a small dressing placed over the cut in the groin and pressure will be applied to the site for 10-15 minutes. You will be asked to lie still for about four hours to prevent bleeding.
A lung-shunting scan may be performed immediately after your treatment which takes around 20 minutes.
After the procedure, you will be monitored for a few hours and most people are discharged within 24 hours.
Watch the patient procedure video below:
There are three ways in which you can get SIRT treatment:
