To investigate the optimal strategy of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatoblastoma.Methods Between 1992 and 2001, 7 children with hepatoblastoma (aged 9 months to 13 years) underwent preoperative TACE. The chemoembolic agent used was an emulsion of pirarubicin and lipiodol. Four patients without distant metastasis underwent primary TACE without systemic chemotherapy. The other 3 with distant metastases underwent delayed TACE following systemic chemotherapy. These patients were all examined retrospectively using clinical data.