[Radiofrequency ablation therapy combined with suture and ligation surgery for patients with giant cavernous hemangiomas of the liver].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy combined with suture and ligation surgery for patients with giant hepatic cavernous hemangioma (HCH).

METHODS: Between June 2004 and June 2005, a total of 30 patients were treated by RFA therapy after suture and ligation surgery (SL group, n = 15, with 18 liver lesions) or RFA therapy without suture and ligation surgery (non-SL group, n = 15, with 17 liver lesions) under general anesthesia. All patients had obvious symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, pain and swelling. Preoperative diagnosis of HCH was established by means of ultrasonography, helical computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The mean maximum diameter of the lesions was 8.8 cm +/- 1.4 cm. All of the 35 lesions were located on the liver surface, in the caudate lobe of the liver, or adjacent to the gallbladder. Seven patients had chronic calculous cholecystitis, 6 common duct stones, 5 thrombocytopenias, and one posthepatitic cirrhosis. Thirteen of the 30 patients had previous laparotomy. Therapeutic efficacy and clinical data of RFA therapy were compared between these two groups.

RESULTS: RFA therapy under ultrasound guidance was performed successfully in all the patients. Cholecystectomy was performed simultaneously for gallstones in 7 patients and for abutting of gallbladder from hemangioma in 2 patients. Choledochotomy with T-tube drainage was performed in 6 patients. The mean blood loss, the mean RFA time per lesion and reduction rate of maximum diameter of the lesions 6 months after RFA in the SL group and non-SL group were 88.0 ml +/- 22.4 ml vs. 255.0 ml +/- 71.7 ml (P < 0.001), 23.0 min +/- 7.5 min vs. 53.3 min +/- 16.0 min (P < 0.001), and 61.8% vs. 44.8% (P < 0.001) respectively. No severe complication related to RFA was observed in all patients. At a median follow-up of 12 months (6 approximately 17 months), a complete lesion necrosis was achieved on the contrast-enhanced helical CT scans in both groups. During the follow-up, all of the 15 patients were free of upper abdominal pain in the SL group, and 12 patients were symptom-free and 3 obtained significant amelioration of symptoms in the non-SL group.

CONCLUSION: RFA therapy combined with suture and ligation surgery is a feasible, safe, and effective treatment modality for patients with giant HCHs. It can reduce blood loss, shorten RFA therapy time, and increase therapeutic efficacy of RFA. Intraoperative ultrasonography is a useful adjunct for increasing the therapeutic efficacy of RFA and reducing the complications related to RFA.