A new procedure of percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy under artificial hydrothorax for patients with liver tumors in the hepatic dome.

Percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) has been widely used as an effective minimal invasive therapy for small liver tumors. The occurrence of a sonographic masked space due to the presence of the lung, however, has become a major obstacle to visualizing the whole tumor in the hepatic dome. To facilitate the use of PMCT for liver tumors in the hepatic dome, we developed PMCT in combination with the artificial hydrothorax method (percutaneous transdiaphragmatic MCT: PTD-MCT). Our new approach for PMCT to the hepatic tumors located in Couinaud's segments VIII or VII just under the diaphragm resulted in a successful treatment. The separation of the lung from the diaphragm by the infusion of saline into the pleural cavity enabled us not only to visualize the whole tumor in the hepatic dome to accurately target the tumor, but also helped us to avoid injuring the lung. PTD-MCT is therefore strongly recommended for the treatment of liver tumors in the hepatic dome.