Objective To evaluate the role of transarterial embolization（TAE） in bleeding and non-bleeding hepatocellular adenoma（HCA）. Methods Relevant studies for the transarterial embolization in HCA from the databases EMBASE，PubMed and Web of Science were searched from January 2000 to December 2017. Literature screening，data extraction and quality assessment were conducted according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results A total of 21 studies were eligible for inclusion in the study，including 1，481 patients with HCA，of whom 148 were treated with TAE. Of the 148 patients who underwent TAE, 93 had HCA bleeding and 55 had non-bleeding HCA，of which 45 were non-acute TAE. A total of 110 tumors met the revised RECIST criteria，with the proportion of complete and partially reduced tumors being 10.0% （11/110)）and 71.8%（79/110）, respectively. A total of 72 patients could avoid hepatectomy，including 23 cases of bleeding HCA and 49 cases of non-bleeding HCA. Of the 45 patients who were treated with non-acute TAE，43 did not require further surgery. No mortality or serious adverse side effects occurred during hospitalization. Conclusions TAE may be considered as a safe treatment for patients with HCA. For patients with non-bleeding HCA，TAE may be a reasonable alternative treatment besides hepatectomy.
