Ultrasound-guided intraoperative liver ablation - retrospective review of indications and outcomes
M R Rouhezamin1, S I Iqbal2, M Qadan3
1Department of Radiology, Division of Interventional Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital Boston & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Aim:
To define the indications and outcomes of intraoperative ablation of hepatic malignancies.
Materials And Methods:
This retrospective study comprises 27 patients (male/female: 19/8; mean age: 56 ± 13) undergoing intraoperative ablation (IOA) of liver tumours between July 2001 and August 2021 for 42 tumours, including colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) (n = 27), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)(n = 14), and ovarian cancer metastasis (n = 1). The mean tumour diameter was 2.1 cm ± 1.3 (range, 0.6-5.6 cm). The median imaging follow-up was 26.3 months ± 25.6 (range: 0.13-161.6). Technical success (TS), local tumour progression (LTP), and local progression-free survival (LPFS) were calculated leveraging the Kaplan-Meier method. Adverse events (AE) were categorised according to SIR guidelines.
Results:
Indications for IOA include concurrent partial hepatectomy (n = 9), intraoperative detection of a new tumour (n = 4), lack of a safe percutaneous trajectory (n = 3) or clamp of hilum (n = 1). In 7 patients, surgeons made independent decisions for IOA not based on established criteria. Of 32 ablated tumours among 25 patients with available follow-up, TS was achieved for 31 tumours (97%). LTP was detected in 32% of cases at a median of 13.7 months. LPFS at 1,2,3,5 years were 82%, 60%, 51%, 51%. AE rate was 55.5% addressed with minimal or no interventions in 80% of cases. One patient with HCC died of liver failure.
Conclusion:
The indications for IOA are concurrent partial hepatectomy, intraoperative detection of a new tumour, and suboptimal percutaneous ablation. IOA is effective with high TS. LTP is high. AE rate is relatively high; however, no significant treatment is required in most cases.
