Contrast-enhanced sonographically guided thermal ablation for treatment of solid-organ hemorrhage: preliminary clinical results

The purpose of this series was to preliminarily evaluate the use of contrast-enhanced sonographically guided percutaneous thermal ablation in the evaluation and treatment of solid-organ bleeding by retrospectively analyzing 6 cases observed in clinical practice. Six patients who underwent contrast-enhanced sonographically guided thermal ablation for treatment of solid-organ bleeding (5 in liver and 1 in spleen) from December 2005 to August 2012 were included in this series. Clinical information, contrast-enhanced sonograms before and after ablation, and the ablation method were retrospectively collected and analyzed. In 5 of the 6 patients, the location of the bleeding lesion was clearly seen. Hemostasis was successfully achieved in 4 of these 5 patients: 1 by radiofrequency ablation and 3 by microwave ablation. Ablation failed to achieve hemostasis in 1 patient who had postbiopsy splenic arterial bleeding because the bleeding vessel was a thick branch of the splenic artery. In the sixth remaining patient, who had bleeding after liver biopsy, hemostasis failed because contrast-enhanced sonography did not precisely locate the bleeding lesion; hence, the ablation zone did not cover the whole lesion. Contrast-enhanced sonographically guided ablation can be an alternative choice for treating solid-organ bleeding because of its effectiveness and minimal invasiveness. However, it should be carefully investigated for those in whom the bleeding lesion cannot be located by contrast-enhanced sonography and in those who have bleeding in a large vessel.