Microwave coagulation therapy for liver tumor : The effect on the intrahepatic vessels

The first requisite for successful resection of the liver is sufficient functional reserve of the residual liver. The extent of safe resection in liver disease is so remarkably limited that the big vessel should be reconstructed when extensive resection of the liver including the big vessels is necessary for the tumoral extirpation. Microwave coagulation therapy (MCT) under laparotomy has tumor lethal effect with less critical impairment of live function than surgical resection. In case of the microwave coagulation of tumor involving a big vessel, we couldn't ask for a better result than that the involved vessel wall falls in necrosis accompanied with the tumor mass and that the vessel is kept patent. Histological study using canine model suggesting that conventional coagulation resulted in wall necrosis of the vessel and the maintained patency at intervals of 8 mm from the center of coagulation electrode, successful coagulation for the case with the tumor of segment 4 invading the umbilical and horizontal portion of the Glisson sheath was here by presented.