The advantage of microwave coagulation for liver surgery in cirrhotic patients

Abstract

For hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), surgical resection is the optimal treatment, however, the amount of resectable hepatic parenchyma is limited because of liver cirrhosis. We evaluated the advantage of microwave coagulation for liver resection in 16 liver cirrhotic patients. The patients were divided into three groups according to surgical procedures. Group R (n = 5) : patients underwent liver resection without microwave coagulation. Group MR (n = 6) : patients underwent liver resection using microwave coagulation. Group M (n = 5) : patients underwent microwave coagulation therapy with thoracotomy. We compared with Group MR with Group R in operation time, blood loss, postoperative peak GOT and CRP levels. Group MR significantly shortened operation time (p = 0.001), and decreased blood loss during operation (p = 0.008) compared with Group R. These findings suggest that microwave coagulation is useful for liver rection in cirrhotic patients.