Comparison between combination therapy of percutaneous ethanol injection and radiofrequency ablation and radiofrequency ablation alone for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
In the present study, the characteristics of PEI-RFA treatment were further elucidated by analyzing the relationship between the volume of coagulated necrosis and the energy requirement for ablation or the amount of ethanol injected into HCC.


METHODS
The volume of coagulated necrosis, total energy requirement and energy requirement for coagulation of per unit volume were examined in the groups of PEI-RFA and RFA alone using the Cool-tip RF system.


RESULTS
The results showed that the volume of coagulated necrosis induced was significantly larger in PEI-RFA group than in routine RFA group, when the total energy administered was comparable in both groups. In PEI-RFA, enlargement of coagulated necrosis was admitted in 3 dimensions and the amount of energy requirement per unit volume of coagulated necrosis was negatively correlated with the amount of ethanol injected into HCC.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that, compared to RFA alone, PEI-RFA enables to induce comparable coagulated necrosis with smaller energy requirement, and that PEI-RFA is likely to be less invasive than RFA alone irrespective of inducing enhanced coagulated necrosis. Thus, simple prior injection of ethanol may make RFA treatment more effective and less invasive for the treatment of patients with HCC.
Kurokohchi
Kazutaka
K
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Kagawa University School of Medicine, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan.
Watanabe
Seishiro
S
Masaki
Tsutomu
T
Hosomi
Naoki
N
Miyauchi
Yoshiaki
Y
Himoto
Takashi
T
Kimura
Yasuhiko
Y
Nakai
Seiji
S
Deguchi
Akihiro
A
Yoneyama
Hirohito
H
Yoshida
Shuhei
S
Kuriyama
Shigeki
S
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D000431:Ethanol