MICROWAVE SURGERY IN THE TREATMENT OF HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA

Microwave surgery was employed for the treatment of 50 patients with h epatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis, including hepatecto my in 46 patients and in situ coagulation of tumor in 4 patients. In t he study, 2,450 MHz microwaves were generated and transmitted to a mon opolar needle electrode. For hepatectomy, the needle electrode was ins erted into the liver parenchyma to coagulate the liver tissue and this was repeated at 1 cm intervals along the line where incision is antic ipated. For unresectable HCC, the needle electrode was directly insert ed into HCC to coagulate the cancer in situ. The average amounts of bl ood loss and blood transfusion for 46 hepatectomies using microwave we re 215 +/- 189 ml and 274 +/- 261 ml, respectively. Eighteen patients (39.1%) did not need blood transfusion. A significant lower volume of blood loss and blood transfusion was observed in comparison with 46 ma tched conventional hepatectomies, 652 +/- 1,008 ml and 841 +/- 878 ml, respectively, all being P < 0.01. There were no operative mortality a nd complications, such as delayed bleeding, bile leakage, and abdomina l infection. These results indicate that microwave surgery can be util ized safely and effectively in the field of liver surgery. (C) 1993 Wi ley-Liss, Inc.