Percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy under general anesthesia for hepatic tumors

Abstract

In percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT), it is important to understand the three-dimensional anatomy of a hepatic tumor in order to allow careful aiming and sufficient tissue coagulation. Therefore, the effectiveness of PMCT under general anesthesia was examined. When PMCT was performed under general anesthesia, insertion and tissue coagulation could be performed safely even for the tumors in which percutaneous aiming is difficult, such as those in the caudate lobe or under the diaphragm. Pain was complained of by 5.8% of the patients treated under general anesthesia and 70% of those treated under local anesthesia. Portal thrombosis, biliary stenosis, and gastric and intestinal wall injury by the probe tended to occur more frequently in those treated under local anesthesia. The number of days in hospital after starting therapy was 6.9 ± 3.1 days for patients treated under general anesthesia, while it was 8.1 ± 6.6 days for those treated under local anesthesia.