AIM:To evaluate the effectiveness and safety ofdifferent portal vein branch embolization agents ininducing compensatory hypertrophy of the remnantliver and to offer a theoretic basis for clinical portal veinbranch embolization.METHODS:Forty-one adult dogs were included in theexperiment and divided into four groups.Five dogsserved as a control group,12 as a gelfoam group,12as a coil-gelfoam group and 12 as an absolute ethanolgroup.Left portal vein embolization was performed ineach group.The results from the embolization in eachgroup using different embolic agents were compared.The safety of portal vein embolization(PVE)wasevaluated by liver function test,computed tomography(CT)and digital subtraction angiography(DSA)ofliver and portal veins.Statistical test of variance wasperformed to analyze the results.RESULTS:Gelfoam used for PVE was inefficient inrecanalization of portal vein branch 4 wk after theprocedure.The liver volume in groups of coil-gelfoamand absolute ethanol increased 25.1% and 33.18%,respectively.There was no evidence of recanalization ofembolized portal vein,hepatic dysfunction,and portalhypertension in coil-gelfoam group and absolute ethanolgroup.CONCOUSION:Portal vein branch embolization usingabsolute ethanol and coil-gelfoam could induce atrophyof the embolized lobes and compensatory hypertrophy ofthe remnant liver.Gelfoam is an inefficient agent. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different portal vein branch embolization agents in inducing compensatory hypertrophy of the remnant and to offer a theoretic basis for clinical portal vein embranchment. METHODS: Forty-one adult dogs were included in the experiment and divided into four groups. FIVE dogsserved as a control group, 12 as a gelfoam group, 12as a coil-gelfoam group and 12 as an absolute ethanol group. Left portal vein embolization was performed ineach group. The results from the embolization in eachgroup using different embolic agents were compared. The safety of portal vein embolization (PVE) wasevaluated by liver function test, computed tomography (CT) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of Liverpool and portal veins. Statistical test of variance was formed to analyze the results .RESULTS: Gelfoam used for PVE was inefficient in recanalization of portal vein branch 4 wk after theprocedure.The liver volume in groups of coil-gelfoamand absolute ethanol increased 25.1 % and 33.18% respectively. There was no evidence of recanalization of embolized portal vein, hepatic dysfunction, and portal hypertensive in coil-gelfoam group and absolute ethanol group. CONCOUSION: Portal vein branch embolization using absolute ethanol and coil-gelfoam could induce atrophy of the embolized lobes and compensatory hypertrophy of the remnant liver. Gelfoam is an inefficient agent.