Creation of small gelatin particles by pumping method for transarterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma: analysis of particle size and reproducibility

Purpose Spherical porous gelatin particles (Gelpart ® , Nippon Kayaku, Tokyo) were crushed by a pumping method to create small gelatin particles for transarterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this study was to analyze crushed particle size. Materials and methods To minimize the size of crushed particles, we used the pumping method using two 2.5-mL syringes connected by a 3-way stopcock. Sixteen samples created by 3 operators were examined. The crushed particles were stained with hematoxylin–eosin, images magnified by a microscope were captured using a digital camera, and the maximum length of each particle was measured. The differences in particle size within the same operator and among the 3 operators were examined by an ANOVA test. Results The particle sizes created by each operator were 139.0 ± 58.8, 201.1 ± 90.9, and 158.4 ± 72.0 µm, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in particle size among the 3 operators ( p