The methods of monitoring the thermal ablation of tumor are compared and analyzed in recent years. The principle method results and insufficient of ultrasound elastography and quantitative ultrasound imaging are discussed. The results show that ultrasonic tissue signature has great development space in the field of real-time monitoring of thermal ablation, but there are still some problems such as insufficient monitoring accuracy difficulty in whole-course monitoring and insufficient
Catheter Ablation ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; Liver/surgery* ; Neoplasms/surgery* ; Ultrasonography

Diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis without extrahepatic lesions is extremely rare in adults. A case of diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis involving right lobe in a 50-year-old woman was presented. The hemangiomatosis was demonstrated by ultrasonography, computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance image (MRI), and was confirmed histopathologically. Although diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis is a rare disease in adults, its diagnosis should be considered in patients with diffuse tumor growth in one or both hepatic lobes and distinguished from malignant tumors. The present case is the first documented case of diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis in an adult in Korea.
Case Report ; Female ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/ultrasonography ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/surgery ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/radiography ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/pathology+ACo- ; Human ; Liver Neoplasms/ultrasonography ; Liver Neoplasms/surgery ; Liver Neoplasms/radiography ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology+ACo- ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Age ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/ultrasonography ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/surgery ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/radiography ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/pathology+ACo- ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis without extrahepatic lesions is extremely rare in adults. A case of diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis involving right lobe in a 50-year-old woman was presented. The hemangiomatosis was demonstrated by ultrasonography, computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance image (MRI), and was confirmed histopathologically. Although diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis is a rare disease in adults, its diagnosis should be considered in patients with diffuse tumor growth in one or both hepatic lobes and distinguished from malignant tumors. The present case is the first documented case of diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis in an adult in Korea.
Case Report ; Female ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/ultrasonography ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/surgery ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/radiography ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/pathology+ACo- ; Human ; Liver Neoplasms/ultrasonography ; Liver Neoplasms/surgery ; Liver Neoplasms/radiography ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology+ACo- ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Age ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/ultrasonography ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/surgery ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/radiography ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/pathology+ACo- ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo determine the safety and efficacy of the enhanced radiofrequency ablation (RFA) new technology for treatment of giant hepatic hemangiomas.

METHODSFrom August 2010 to September 2011, 30 patients with giant hepatic hemangiomas (average diameter: 7.7+/-1.9 cm, range: 5.0 to 12.8 cm) were treated with enhanced RFA. The original lesion diameter, enhanced radiofrequency duration, and cases of RFA-induced burning were recorded. Cases requiring a second RFA treatment were also recorded. Correlation analysis was carried out to determine the association of enhanced RFA with adverse events and change in lesion diameter.

RESULTSThe rate of completely destroyed lesions by enhanced RFA was 70.96%, and the total rate of reduced lesions was 87.1%. No severe adverse events occurred. The duration of enhanced radiofrequency correlated positively with the original lesion diameter (r=0.687, P less than 0.01). The enhanced RFA treatment significantly reduced the average lesion diameter (follow-up: 6.2+/-1.8 cm; t=6.417, P less than 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe new minimally-invasive technology of enhanced radiofrequency ablation is effective and safe for treating giant hepatic hemangiomas and produces an obvious, short-term curative effect.

Adult ; Catheter Ablation ; methods ; Female ; Hemangioma, Cavernous ; surgery ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation has become one of the most promising local cancer therapies for both resectable and nonresectable hepatic tumors. Although RF ablation is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of liver tumors, the outcome of treatment can be closely related to the location and shape of the tumors. There may be difficulties with RF ablation of tumors that are adjacent to large vessels or extrahepatic heat-vulnerable organs and tumors in the caudate lobe, possibly resulting in major complications or treatment failure. Thus, a number of strategies have been developed to overcome these challenges, which include artificial ascites, needle track ablation, fusion imaging guidance, parallel targeting, bypass targeting, etc. Operators need to use the right strategy in the right situation to avoid the possibility of complications and incomplete thermal tissue destruction; with the right strategy, RF ablation can be performed successfully, even for hepatic tumors in high-risk locations. This article offers technical strategies that can be used to effectively perform RF ablation as well as to minimize possible complications related to the procedure with representative cases and schematic illustrations.
Ascites ; Bile Duct Diseases/etiology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*surgery/ultrasonography ; Catheter Ablation/adverse effects ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/*surgery/ultrasonography ; Neoplasm, Residual/etiology

The early assessment of the therapeutic response after percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation is important, in order to correctly decide whether further treatment is necessary. The residual unablated tumor is usually depicted on contrast-enhanced multiphase helical computed tomography (CT) as a focal enhancing structure during the arterial and portal venous phases. Contrast-enhanced color Doppler and power Doppler ultrasonography (US) have also been used to detect residual tumors. Contrast-enhanced gray-scale US, using a harmonic technology which has recently been introduced, allows for the detection of residual tumors after ablation, without any of the blooming or motion artifacts usually seen on contrast-enhanced color or power Doppler US. Based on our experience and reports in the literature, we consider that contrast-enhanced gray-scale harmonic US constitutes a reliable alternative to contrast-enhanced multiphase CT for the early evaluation of the therapeutic response to RF ablation for liver cancer. This technique was also useful in targeting any residual unablated tumors encountered during additional ablation.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/radiography/*surgery/*ultrasonography ; *Catheter Ablation ; Contrast Media ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/radiography/*surgery/*ultrasonography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polysaccharides/diagnostic use ; Suspensions/diagnostic use ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Ultrasonography, Doppler/methods

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of cooperative training on the pretreatment assessment of the feasibility to perform Ultrasonography (US) guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for patients afflicted with hepatocellular carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In our prospective study, 146 patients with 200 hepatocellular carcinomas were referred for radiofrequency ablation after triage by hepatologists. Three radiologists with different levels of experience performed the planning US before (group I) and after (group II) cooperative training, to evaluate whether radiofrequency ablation was feasible. The feasibility rates considered eligible according to our criteria were evaluated. In addition, we analyzed the reasons for the lack of feasibility were analyzed. The interobserver agreement for the assessment of feasibility before and after training was also calculated. RESULTS: The overall feasibility rates for both groups was 73%. No significant difference in the feasibility rates was observed. The feasibility rates of each observer for group I were 71% (observer 1), 77% (observer 2) and 70% (observer 3) and those for group II were 73%, 76% and 69%, respectively. In the tumors (n = 164) considered ineligible, the two most common causes for refraining from performing radiofrequency ablation included non-visualization of the tumor (62%) and the absence of a safe route for the percutaneous approach (38%). We found moderate interobserver agreement for all observers before cooperative training and a good agreement after training. CONCLUSION: Although the cooperative training did not affect the feasibility rate of each observer, it improved the interobserver agreement for assessing the feasibility of performing US guided radiofrequency ablation, which may reduce unnecessary admission or delayed treatment.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*surgery/ultrasonography ; *Catheter Ablation ; Clinical Competence ; Feasibility Studies ; Humans ; Inservice Training ; Liver Neoplasms/*surgery/ultrasonography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Reproducibility of Results ; *Ultrasonography, Interventional

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is emerging as a new therapeutic method in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We report the results of 64 patients with a follow-up interval of 3 to 19 months. METHOD: Sixty-four patients with 82 nodules underwent ultrasound guided RFA. The mean tumor diameter was 2.5+/-1.0 cm. Laparoscopic ultrasound guided RFA was performed in 38 cases, and percutaneous ultrasound guided RFA in 26 cases. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by means of three-phase dynamic abdominal computed tomography (CT) performed within at least one week after ablating. The recurrence was evaluated after treatment by means of abdominal CT and alpha fetoprotein every 3 months. We calculated cumulative recurrence rates, survival rates of patients, and found out complication of RFA. RESULTS: Cumulative recurrence rates in 3, 6, 12 months after RFA was 8.8%, 15.8%, 25.9%. 12 cases were recurred during follow-up. Among them, intrahepatic recurrences were noted in 11 cases, local recurrences in 3 cases. Cumulative survival curves indicated that survival rate was 95% at the third month, 94% at the sixth month, 81% at the twelfth month. After RFA, the alpha fetoprotein level was decreased significantly after 1 month (p<0.05), and serum transaminase levels were transiently elevated (p<0.01) but returned to normal within one week. Complications of RFA were not serious, and resolved spontaneously. CONCLUSION: RFA can be considered a useful new treatment for HCC. Laparoscopic RFA is a useful procedure for the treatment of HCC regardless of its location.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/radiography/*surgery/ultrasonography ; *Catheter Ablation/adverse effects ; English Abstract ; Female ; Human ; *Laparoscopy ; Liver Neoplasms/radiography/*surgery/ultrasonography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; *Ultrasonography, Interventional

Hepatocellular adenoma (HA) is a benign hepatic lesion that predominantly occurs in young women. Most hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) arise in a cirrhotic liver during the fifth or sixth decades. There have been several reported cases of HCC developing from HA in female patients. However, there are rare cases about HCC arising in HA in a non-cirrhotic male patient. We have recently encountered a 53-year-old man who had a liver mass in a non-cirrhotic liver, and the liver mass was compatible with HA on the pre-operative computed tomography. The mass was completely resected and the histopathology revealed a focus of HCC arising in HA. We report here on this case along with a brief review of the relevant literature
Adenoma, Liver Cell/*pathology/surgery ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*pathology/surgery ; Female ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/*pathology/surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Precancerous Conditions/*pathology/surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonography ; Young Adult

Local ablation therapy is considered as a conventional treatment option for patients with early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although radiofrequency (RF) ablation is widely used for HCC, the use of cryoablation has been increasing as newer and safer cryoablation systems have developed. The thermodynamic mechanism of freezing and thawing used in cryoablation is the Joule-Thomson effect. Cryoablation destroys tissue via direct tissue destruction and vascular-related injury. A few recent comparative studies have shown that percutaneous cryoablation for HCCs is comparable to percutaneous RF ablation in terms of long term therapeutic outcomes and complications. Cryoablation has several advantages over RF ablation such as well visualization of iceball, no causation of severe pain, and lack of severe damage to great vessels and gallbladder. It is important to know the advantages and disadvantages of cryoablation compared with RF ablation for improvement of therapeutic efficacy and safety.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnostic imaging/*surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; *Cryosurgery ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging/*surgery ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography