Ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy for challenging perihilar focal liver lesions: diagnostic accuracy and safety assessment.

Purpose: In cases of perihilar focal liver lesions, distinguishing between benign strictures and malignancies is critical to prevent unnecessary surgery. Although the use of contrast-enhanced CT or MRI in combination with clinical and laboratory findings can aid in diagnosis, histologic examination is often necessary. Histologic specimens can be obtained through various techniques, including ERCP-guided brush cytology or intraductal biopsy, cholangioscopy-directed biopsy or endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).

Thermal Ablation of Liver Tumors Guided by Augmented Reality: An Initial Clinical Experience.

Background: Over the last two decades, augmented reality (AR) has been used as a visualization tool in many medical fields in order to increase precision, limit the radiation dose, and decrease the variability among operators. Here, we report the first in vivo study of a novel AR system for the guidance of percutaneous interventional oncology procedures. Methods: Eight patients with 15 liver tumors (0.

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of HCC: reduced ablation duration and increased ablation size using single, internally cooled electrodes with an optimized pulsing algorithm.

Purpose: To assess the use of optimized radiofrequency (RF) to achieve larger, spherical ablation volumes with short application duration for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: Twenty-two patients (M: = 17:5, median age 69.6 year, range 63-88) with 28 HCCs due to HCV + liver cirrhosis underwent RFA.

US-guided laser treatment of parathyroid adenomas.

To determine the clinical efficacy of laser ablation for the tredatment of primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). Twelve patients with pHPT were treated with laser ablation. Energy was administered by means of 1.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma treated with percutaneous ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation.

Purpose: Minimally invasive image-guided thermal ablation has been proposed as alternative to surgery for treatment of benign thyroid nodules and recurrent differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Here, we report for the first time the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in a patient with non-metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) who did not undergo surgery due to high anesthesiological risk.

Methods And Results: A 64-year-old woman was referred to our institution for a routine endocrinological visit.

A novel software platform for volumetric assessment of ablation completeness.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the accuracy of a novel software platform for assessing completeness of percutaneous thermal ablations.

Materials & Methods: Ninety hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in 50 patients receiving percutaneous ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) that resulted in apparent technical success at 24-h post-ablation computed tomography (CT) and with ≥1-year imaging follow-up were randomly selected from a 320 HCC ablation database (2010-2016). Using a novel volumetric registration software, pre-ablation CT volumes of the HCCs without and with the addition of a 5 mm safety margin, and corresponding post-ablation necrosis volumes were segmented, co-registered and overlapped.

Real-Time US-FDG-PET/CT Image Fusion for Guidance of Thermal Ablation of FDG-PET-Positive Liver Metastases: The Added Value of Contrast Enhancement.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of US-FDG-PET/CT fusion-guided microwave ablation of liver metastases either poorly visible or totally undetectable with US, CEUS and CT, but visualized by PET imaging.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-three patients with 58 liver metastases underwent microwave ablation guided by image fusion system that combines US with FDG-PET/CT images. In 28/58 tumors, FDG-PET/CT with contrast medium (PET/CECT) was used.

Augmented reality for interventional oncology: proof-of-concept study of a novel high-end guidance system platform.

Background: To assess the feasibility of a novel system that uses augmented reality to guide interventional oncology procedures.

Methods: This study was conducted in accordance to the guidelines of the local institutional review boards. Evaluation of an augmented reality system based upon a tablet, a needle handle and a set of markers was performed in three experimental models.

A Novel CT to Cone-Beam CT Registration Method Enables Immediate Real-Time Intraprocedural Three-Dimensional Assessment of Ablative Treatments of Liver Malignancies.

Aim: To evaluate a novel contrast-enhanced cone-beam computed tomography (CE-CBCT) registration method for accurate immediate assessment of ablation outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) was registered with CE-CBCT by applying semiautomatic landmark registration followed by automatic affine and non-rigid registration to correct for respiratory phase differences and liver deformation. This scheme was retrospectively applied to 30 patients who underwent 38 percutaneous microwave liver ablations.

Benign thyroid nodules treatment using percutaneous laser ablation (PLA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Purpose: To evaluate the reduction over time of benign thyroid nodules treated using percutaneous laser ablation (PLA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) by the same equipe.

Materials And Methods: Ninety patients (age 55.6 ± 14.

Microwave ablation of primary and secondary liver tumours: ex vivo, in vivo, and clinical characterisation.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the performance of a microwave ablation (MWA) apparatus in preclinical and clinical settings.

Materials And Method: The same commercial 2.45 GHz MWA apparatus was used throughout this study.

Treatment of Metastatic Lymph Nodes in the Neck from Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Percutaneous Laser Ablation.

Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of percutaneous laser ablation (PLA) of cervical lymph node metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: 24 patients (62.3 ± 13.

Real-time US-CT/MRI image fusion for guidance of thermal ablation of liver tumors undetectable with US: results in 295 cases.

Purpose: This study was designed to assess feasibility of US-CT/MRI fusion-guided ablation in liver tumors undetectable with US.

Methods: From 2002 to 2012, 295 tumors (162 HCCs and 133 metastases; mean diameter 1.3 ± 0.

Intraprocedural contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in liver percutaneous radiofrequency ablation: clinical impact and health technology assessment.

Objectives: To assess the clinical and the economic impacts of intraprocedural use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in patients undergoing percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for small (<2.5 cm) hepatocellular carcinomas.

Methods: One hundred and forty-eight hepatocellular carcinomas in 93 patients were treated by percutaneous radiofrequency ablation and immediate assessment by intraprocedural CEUS.

Percutaneous laser ablation of metastatic lymph nodes in the neck from papillary thyroid carcinoma: preliminary results.

Context: Percutaneous laser ablation (PLA) may be useful in treating patients with metachronous metastatic lymph nodes in the neck.

Objective: Our objective was to assess PLA as a treatment of difficult-to-treat metachronous cervical lymph node metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Design And Setting: We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data at a public hospital.

Small liver colorectal metastases treated with percutaneous radiofrequency ablation: local response rate and long-term survival with up to 10-year follow-up.

Purpose: To determine the long-term (10-year) survival of patients with colorectal liver metastases treated with radiofrequency (RF) ablation and systemic chemotherapy with intention to treat.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained for this study. From 1997 to 2006, 99 consecutive patients with 202 small (0.

Guidance and monitoring of radiofrequency liver tumor ablation with contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Radiofrequency (RF) treatments of non-resectable hepatic tumors are generally guided with real-time sonography, which, however, cannot differentiate necrotic changes from viable tumor. To achieve complete treatment of hepatic tumors, accurate imaging techniques are needed for close treatment follow-up. Usually contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used; however, they can be performed only at the end of treatment sessions.

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of liver metastases in potential candidates for resection: the "test-of-time approach".

Background: Some surgeons have advocated delaying resection of liver metastases to allow additional metastases which may be present, but are undetected, to be identified. This "test-of-time" approach can limit the number of resections performed on patients who ultimately will develop additional metastases. The current study evaluated the potential role and possible advantages of performing radiofrequency (RF) ablation during the interval between diagnosis and hepatic metastasectomy as part of a test-of-time management approach.

Extrahepatic recurrence and second malignancies after treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: spectrum of imaging findings.

Purpose: To describe diagnostic imaging features (with a focus on CT findings) of extrahepatic relapses of treated hepatocellular carcinoma and to propose a post-treatment follow-up protocol.

Material And Methods: During a six-year span, 226 patients (aged 32-88 years) with chronic hepatitis/cirrhosis were diagnosed as having hepatocellular carcinoma confined to the liver and treated percutaneously with radiofrequency (RF) ablation. A total of 313 treatment sessions were performed.

Percutaneous radio-frequency ablation of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer: long-term results in 117 patients.

Purpose: To describe the results of an ongoing radio-frequency (RF) ablation study in patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: In 117 patients, 179 metachronous colorectal carcinoma hepatic metastases (0.9-9.

Percutaneous radio-frequency ablation of liver metastases from breast cancer: initial experience in 24 patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the authors' initial experience in a consecutive series of 24 patients with breast cancer liver metastases treated with radio-frequency (RF) ablation.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-four consecutive patients with 64 metastases measuring 1.0--6.

Radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatic metastases.

Percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation is a promising therapeutic option for liver metastases, which may result in prolonged survival and chance for cure. Recent technological advancements provide larger coagulation volumes, allowing treatment of medium- and large-size metastases. Candidates are patients with metachronous liver metastases from colorectal or other primary cancers, in whom surgery is contraindicated and with one to four nodules each smaller than approx.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: radio-frequency ablation of medium and large lesions.

Purpose: To study local therapeutic efficacy, side effects, and complications of radio-frequency (RF) ablation in the treatment of medium and large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions in patients with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis.

Materials And Methods: One-hundred fourteen patients who were under conscious sedation or general anesthesia had 126 HCCs greater than 3.0 cm in diameter treated with RF by using an internally cooled electrode.

Liver cancer imaging: the need for accurate detection of intrahepatic disease spread.

The last ten years have seen dramatic changes in the therapeutic approach to both primary (i.e., hepatocellular carcinoma: HCC) and secondary (i.