Percutaneous Microwave Ablation Under Ultrasound Guidance for Liver Cancer: a Multicenter Analysis

Inclusion criteria

• absence of ascites or the depth of ascites on US detection less than 4 cm;
• a normal serum total bilirubin level or less than 60 µmol/L;
• a normal albumin level or not less than 30 g/L;
• for radical treatment, single lesion of 8 cm or smaller, three or fewer multiple lesions with a maximum diameter of 4 cm or less, absence of portal vein cancerous thrombus or extrahepatic metastases;
• for palliative treatment, those with large or multiple lesions, suffering multiple metastases and unsuitable for other modalities can be considered to undergo the MWA on the condition of good hepatic function and blood coagulation function to tolerate the procedure.

Exclusion criteria

Contraindications include patients who have

• clinical evident liver failure, such as massive ascites or hepatic encephalopathy or with a trance-like state;
• severe blood coagulation dysfunction (prothrombin time of more than 30 seconds, prothrombin activity less than 40%, and platelet count less than 30 cells×109/L);
• high intrahepatic tumor burden (tumor volume >70% of the target liver volume or multiple tumor nodules) or high extrahepatic tumor burden;
• acute or active inflammatory and infectious lesions at any organ;
• acute or severe chronic renal failure, pulmonary insufficiency or heart dysfunction;
• relative contraindication concerns medical risk for the tumor proximity to diaphragm, gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, pancreas, hepatic hilum and major bile duct or vessels, which may require adjunctive techniques to prevent off-target heating of adjacent structures during the ablation procedure.