Objective To investigate the safety and feasibility of hepatic arterial embolization through abdominal aorta catheterization in rat liver cancer models.Methods Twenty Sprague-Dawley rat hepatocellular carcinoma models were successfully established by in situ implantation of McA-Rh7777 cells.The experimental rats were randomly divided into group A and group B,with 10 rats in each group.For the experimental rats of group A,catheterization of abdominal aorta was adopted to perform hepatic arterial angiography and embolization,while for the experimental rats of group B,the catheter passed through the gastroduodenal artery,then was retrogradely inserted into the proper hepatic artery to perform infusion of drugs,hepatic arterial angiography and embolization.The operation time,operation success rate,intraoperative and postoperative surgical complications in both groups were recorded.The postoperative recovery status of the experimental rats was recorded.The iodized oil deposition state was evaluated by abdominal CT scan at one day before operation and at 1,5 and 7 days after operation.Results In groups A and B,the operation time was(15.11±0.70)min and(34.39±1.60)min respectively(P=0.036),the operation success rate was 100％and 60％respectively(P=0.043),the differences between the two groups were statistically significant.No obvious surgical complications occurred in both groups.The postoperative CT plain scan showed that dense iodized oil deposition was observed in the experimental rats having successful operation.Conclusion Hepatic arterial embolization through abdominal aorta catheterization is a safe and feasible operation method for rat liver cancer models.