HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kim, Y. K. Articles by Lee, J. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kim, Y. K. Articles by Lee, J. M. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Radiofrequency Ablation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Decompensated Cirrhosis: Evaluation of Therapeutic Efficacy and Safety

¹ Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chonbuk National University Hospital and Medical School, Jeonju, South Korea.
² Department of Radiology and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea, 28, Yongon-dong, Chongno-gu, Seoul 110-744, South Korea.

OBJECTIVE. Our objective was to determine the therapeutic efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Nineteen patients with 26 HCC nodules (range, 0.8-5 cm; mean, 1.96 cm) and decompensated liver cirrhosis (mean Child score, 10.7) were treated with radiofrequency ablation using cooled-tip electrodes and a 200-W generator. Radiofrequency ablation was performed under the guidance of sonography or CT. Procedure-related complications, therapeutic efficacy, each patient's survival, changes in blood test results—that is, serum aminotransferase and bilirubin—and changes in the Child score before and after ablation therapy were analyzed. To assess the therapeutic response of the tumor to radiofrequency ablation, we performed contrast-enhanced CT after the procedure and during follow-up.

RESULTS. Complete necrosis without marginal recurrence at the 6-month follow-up was attained in 23 lesions (88.5%). During follow-up (mean, 13.3 months), one patient experienced a remote tumor recurrence in the liver. The median survival time was 12.0 ± 1.7 months. Two patients died of liver failure—one at 2 months and one at 4 months after treatment. The other patients were followed for at least 6 months (range, 6-28 months; mean, 12 months). The first and second weeks after therapy, the serum aminotransferase and bilirubin levels were significantly higher than were pretreatment levels (p < 0.05). However, 3 weeks after therapy, those figures were nearly restored to the pretreatment levels. The mean Child scores 3 weeks after radiofrequency ablation (10.8) were similar to those before treatment (10.7).

CONCLUSION. Radiofrequency ablation can be used selectively for treatment of HCC in patients with decompensated cirrhosis but has the potential to aggravate the preexisting hepatic dysfunction.

Keywords: cirrhosis • decompensation • hepatocellular carcinoma • liver • radiofrequency ablation

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. C. Lucey Radiofrequency ablation: the future is now. Am. J. Roentgenol., May 1, 2006; 186(5 Suppl): S237 - S240. [Full Text] [PDF]