2005 Volume 38 Issue 8 Pages 1318-1323
A 71-year-old man with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and chronic hepatitis C underwent percutaneous ra-diofrequency ablation therapy (RFA) for two HCC nodules 2cm in diameter, in the anterior inferior segment (S5) and posterior inferior segment (S6) in March 2003. A tumor thrombus was detected in the right posterior inferior portal branch (P6) by US 38 days after RFA, which rapidly progressed and reached the anterior-posterior portal bifurcation one month later. He underwent right hepatic lobectomy in June 2003. Pathological examination showed the tumor thrombus to be moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcioma, whereas primary tumors in S5 and S6 were completely necrotic. Necrotic HCC in the portal venule was also detected in the ablated area of S6. We concluded that microscopic portal vein tumor thrombus may have been pushed into P6 by RFA, meaning RFA should be closely followed up taking into account possible rapid recurrence.
