Abstract
Aims
Microwave ablation (MWA) is the most recent development in the field of local ablative
therapies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variability and reproducibility
of single-probe MWA vs. radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of liver metastases smaller
than 3 cm in patients without underlying liver disease.
Methods
Sixteen liver metastases were treated using MWA, and matched for size and localisation
with 13 metastases treated by RFA. Tumour diameters and postoperative ablation diameters
were recorded (D1 transverse; D2 antero-posterior; D3 cranio-caudal; mm) on computed
tomography scans.
Results
Median D1, D2, and D3 ablation diameters after MWA vs. RFA were 18.5 (12–64) vs. 34
(16–41) mm (p=0.003), 26 (14–60) vs. 35 (28–40) mm (p=0.046), and 20 (10–73) vs. 32 (20–45) mm (p=0.025), respectively. As compared to RFA, the variability between the lesions after
MWA was significantly higher for D2 (p<0.0001) and D3 (p=0.002) but not for D1 (p=0.15). The ablation diameters were less uniform after MWA than after RFA (p<0.001).
Conclusion
Ablation diameters after single-probe MWA of metastatic liver tumours are highly variable
and suboptimal. Improvements are needed before MWA can be implemented routinely.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
May 10,
2010
Footnotes
☆ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00922181.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
