Longitudinal Radiological Remodeling after Irreversible Electroporation Versus Radiofrequency Ablation: A Prospective...

To evaluate the short- to intermediate-term radiological evolution of ablation zones using contrast-enhanced MRI and to assess clinically relevant outcomes following irreversible electroporation (IRE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with liver tumors.

Thirty-five ablation zones from 24 patients were prospectively evaluated in the LIRA Study. Serial contrast-enhanced MRI was performed at predefined time points (post-ablation day 7 as baseline, 1 month, and 3 months), and ablation-zone geometry was quantitatively analyzed and compared between groups. In addition to longitudinal radiological evolution of the ablation zone, local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) was evaluated as the primary clinical endpoint; disease control and treatment-related safety were also assessed. Peripheral immune profiling was assessed in an exploratory manner.

Longitudinal imaging demonstrated distinct ablation-zone remodeling patterns between the two modalities. Ablation-zone volume and surface area decreased significantly at both 1 and 3 months in both groups, with smaller normalized values in the IRE group. In contrast, a significantly greater change in the surface area-to-volume ratio was observed only at 3 months with IRE versus RFA (IRE: 0.27 [0.16-0.36] vs. RFA: 0.04 [0.02-0.08]; p < 0.001). Treatment efficacy was comparable between groups, whereas procedure-related complications occurred more frequently in the IRE group (45% vs. 0%; p = 0.011). Exploratory peripheral immune profiling revealed time-dependent immune fluctuations following IRE.

IRE is associated with more pronounced longitudinal radiological evolution of the ablation zone compared with RFA, with comparable clinical outcomes and time-dependent immune fluctuations observed after ablation in liver tumors.