[Percutaneous cryosurgery for liver tumors]

Area of Science:

• Hepatobiliary Surgery
• Interventional Radiology
• Oncology

Context:

• Percutaneous cryoablation is an emerging technique for liver tumor treatment.
• Developing effective and minimally invasive methods for small liver lesions is crucial.
• Existing techniques may have limitations in achieving complete tumor destruction.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new cryoprobe for percutaneous cryoablation of small liver tumors.
• To assess the feasibility of using ultrasonic guidance for cryoprobe placement.
• To determine the optimal tumor size for this treatment modality.

Summary:

• A new 3 mm cryoprobe was used for percutaneous cryoablation in 15 patients (10 hepatocellular carcinoma, 5 liver metastases).
• Tumors ranged from <2 cm to >3 cm; lesions were frozen with liquid nitrogen for 15-20 minutes, followed by thawing.
• Experimental data showed ice ball expansion to 3 cm in 20 minutes and 5 cm in 60 minutes. Clinical outcomes included 6 complete responses (CR), 5 partial responses (PR), 2 non-complete (NC), and 2 progressive disease (PD).

Impact:

• Percutaneous cryoablation with this probe demonstrated no adverse effects on liver function or complications.
• The technique is recommended for liver tumors smaller than 3 cm due to limitations in ice ball size.
• This study highlights the potential of cryoablation for select small liver malignancies.