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Combined transarterial chemoembolization of the right inferior phrenic artery and radiofrequency ablation for small hepatocellular carcinoma near the diaphragm: its efficacy and safety

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to report the efficacy and safety of combined transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) of the right inferior phrenic artery (IPA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) near the diaphragm supplied by the right IPA.

Methods

From July 2009 through April 2015, 11 patients with small (≤ 3 cm) HCC near the diaphragm, which was infeasible for ultrasound-guided RFA and supplied by the right IPA, received TACE of the right IPA and subsequent RFA in one session. The safety and therapeutic efficacy, including technique effectiveness and local tumor progression (LTP), were evaluated.

Results

Technique effectiveness was achieved in all the 11 patients (100%). During average follow-up period of 39.2 months (range 13–89 months), LTP occurred in none of the 11 patients. There were twelve minor complications in eight patients, including right shoulder pain (n = 4), right pleural effusion (n = 2), diaphragmatic thickening (n = 2), transient lung change (n = 2), subsegmental intrahepatic bile duct stricture (n = 1), and subsegmental hepatic infarction (n = 1). No major complications were encountered

Conclusion

Combined TACE of the right IPA and RFA can be a safe and effective treatment for small HCC near the diaphragm that is supplied by the right IPA.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the GlaxoSmithKline Research Fund of the Korean Association for the study of the Liver.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul, 06351, Korea

    Dongho Hyun, Sung Ki Cho, Sung Wook Shin, Kwang Bo Park, Hong Suk Park, Sung Wook Choo & Young Soo Do

  2. Department of Radiology, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, 41944, Korea

    Sang Yub Lee

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  1. Dongho Hyun
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Correspondence to Sung Ki Cho.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. For this type of study, formal consent is not required.

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Hyun, D., Cho, S.K., Shin, S.W. et al. Combined transarterial chemoembolization of the right inferior phrenic artery and radiofrequency ablation for small hepatocellular carcinoma near the diaphragm: its efficacy and safety. Abdom Radiol 43, 2851–2858 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-018-1515-2

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