Feasibility, safety, and efficacy of artificial carbon dioxide pneumothorax for computed tomography fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE

To retrospectively assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of artificial carbon dioxide (CO) pneumothorax for computed tomography (CT) fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study included 26 sessions of 24 patients in whom the creation of artificial CO pneumothorax was attempted to avoid the transpulmonary route during CT fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous RF ablation of HCC between April 2011 and December 2017. In these 26 sessions, 29 HCCs (mean tumor diameter: 12 mm, range: 6-22 mm) were treated.

RESULTS

Adequate lung displacement after induction of artificial CO pneumothorax was achieved in 23 of the 26 sessions (88.5%). In the remaining three sessions, transpulmonary RF ablation, transthoracic extrapulmonary RF ablation after switching to an artificial pleural effusion procedure, or RF ablation with electrode insertion in the caudal-cranial oblique direction was performed. No major complications were found. Among the 29 treated tumors, one (3.4%) showed local progression, and the other 28 (96.6%) were completely ablated at the last follow-up (mean follow-up period: 39.3 months, range: 7-78 months).

CONCLUSION

Artificial CO pneumothorax for CT fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous RF ablation appeared to be a feasible, safe, and useful therapeutic option for HCC.