Ultrasound-guided ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: time for a reappraisal?

Abstract

Ultrasound-guided techniques play a key role in the clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma. Among these, percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) was the first technique to be proposed for the treatment of nodular-type hepatocellular carcinoma: the role of PEI was first discussed during the European Association for the Study of the Liver conference held in Barcelona in 2000, 15 years ago. Since then, other techniques have been introduced and radiofrequency ablation now represents the most widely used percutaneous technique. PEI and radiofrequency ablation are widely used in clinical practice. However, only scant progresses in the application of these techniques have been performed over the past 15 years, and percutaneous approaches are often only marginally discussed and studied. Here, we discuss the most relevant clinical issues regarding PEI and radiofrequency ablation that have emerged in the past years.

Keywords:

• HCC
• PEI
• RFA

Acknowledgements

The authors declare no conflicts of interest directly relevant to this paper. The authors wish to thank L Giacomelli, for useful discussion.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.