Modified radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Radiofrequency ablation is commonly used for the treatment of early hepatocellular carcinoma. However, it requires time to ablate sufficient areas, resulting in increased burden for the patients and operators. We introduce a novel and simple method to overcome this problem. We placed the grounding pad on the back (Back group) instead of the thigh of the patient (Thigh group). To assess the effect of this method, we randomly assigned the patients into two groups, based on the location of the grounding pad, and compared the outcomes. The ablation time until two roll-offs was shorter in the Back group than in the Thigh group (median, 2.5min vs 3.4min; P = 0.01). The ablated area was larger in the Back group than that in the Thigh group (P = 0.01) and pain was less in the Back group (P = 0.02). No severe side-effects were observed in either group. This new method is useful in that it achieved shorter ablation times, expansion of the ablated areas, and reduction of pain during the ablation.