MRI-guided radiofrequency ablation of liver tumours: a valuable and minimally-invasive therapeutic option

This study was performed to evaluate the safety, feasibility and potential efficacy of MR-guidance for percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation of he patic malignancies. Seven patients with 12 hepatic malignant tumours (1.3-3 .0 cm in diameter) were treated with RF-ablation, using cooled-tip, 16-gaug e electrodes with 2-3 cm tip exposure. The electrodes were placed under MR- guidance using fast breath-hold T-1 weighted sequences on a 0.2-T MR-interv entional imager. Patients were treated under local anaesthesia, general ana lgesia and sedation. Technical success and therapeutic assessment were eval uated on the basis of results with MR-imaging. MR-guidance was successful i n all 17 sessions, with a mean procedure time of 2.0 h (1.5-2.5 h). No comp lications were observed and no technical problems encountered. Technical su ccess, based on MR results, was achieved in 11 of the 12 tumours (91.6%). T he follow-up MR-examinations confirmed complete necrosis of the entire tumo ur area in 81.8% over a period of 2-13 months. In conclusion, MR-guided RF- ablation of hepatic malignancies appears to be a safe, feasible and potenti ally effective method for the treatment of small hepatic malignancies.