Percutaneous Dual-Switching Monopolar Radiofrequency Ablation Using a Separable Clustered Electrode: A Preliminary...

Area of Science:

• Hepatobiliary surgery
• Interventional radiology
• Oncology

Background:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant global health concern.
• Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment option for HCC.
• Optimizing RFA techniques is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the safety and effectiveness of dual-switching monopolar (DSM) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for HCC treatment.
• To retrospectively compare DSM-RFA outcomes with historical single-switching monopolar (SSM) RFA data.

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 52 HCC patients undergoing DSM-RFA with a separable clustered electrode and dual-generators.
• Evaluation of technical parameters, complications, success, effectiveness, and local tumor progression (LTP) rates.
• Retrospective comparison with 249 HCC patients treated with SSM-RFA.

Main Results:

• DSM-RFA achieved 100% technical success, 98.1% technical effectiveness, and a 4.3% 2-year LTP rate, with two major complications (3.8%).
• DSM-RFA created significantly larger ablation volumes and delivered higher energy per unit time compared to SSM-RFA (p < 0.01).
• No significant difference in major complications or technical effectiveness was observed between DSM-RFA and SSM-RFA (p = 1.00).

Conclusions:

• Dual-switching monopolar (DSM) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using a separable clustered electrode is safe for treating small HCC.
• DSM-RFA offers high local tumor control and promising clinical outcomes, comparable to single-switching monopolar (SSM) RFA.
• This technique represents a viable option for managing small hepatocellular carcinoma.