Vogl TJ, Jaraysa Y, Martin SS, Gruber-Rouh T, Savage RH, Nour-Eldin NEA, Mehmedovic A. A prospective randomized trial comparing microwave and radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of liver metastases using a dual ablation system ─ The Mira study.
Eur J Radiol Open 2022;
9:100399. [PMID:
35155721 PMCID:
PMC8822176 DOI:
10.1016/j.ejro.2022.100399]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the therapy response and safety of microwave (MWA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of liver metastases using a dual ablation system.
Methods
Fifty patients with liver metastases (23 men, mean age: 62.8 ± 11.8 years) were randomly assigned to MWA or RFA for thermal ablation using a one generator dual ablation system. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was acquired before treatment and 24 h post ablation. The morphologic responses to treatment regarding size, volume, necrotic areas, and diffusion characteristics were evaluated by MRI. Imaging follow-up was obtained for one year in three months intervals, whereas clinical follow-up was obtained for two years in all patients.
Results
Twenty-six patients received MWA and 24 patients received RFA (mean diameter: 1.6 cm, MWA: 1.7 cm, RFA: 1.5 cm). The mean volume 24 h after ablation was 37.0 cm3 (MWA: 50.5 cm3, RFA: 22.9 cm3, P < 0.01). The local recurrence rate was 0% (0/26) in the MWA-group and 8.3% (2/24) in the RFA-group (P = 0.09). The rate of newly developed malignant formations was 38.0% (19/50) for both groups (MWA: 38.4%, RFA: 37.5%, P = 0.07). The overall survival rate was 70.0% (35/50) after two years (MWA: 76.9%, RFA: 62.5%, P = 0.60). No major complications were reported.
Conclusion
In conclusion, MWA and RFA are both safe and effective methods for the treatment of liver metastases with MWA generating greater volumes of ablation. No significant differences were found for overall survival, rate of neoplasm, or major complications between both groups.
A dual ablation system allows for MWA and RFA treatment using the same hardware.
Both methods are safe and effective for the treatment of liver metastases.
MWA generates greater volumes of ablation and larger ablative margins compared to RFA.
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