MR‐guided percutaneous cryotherapy of the liver: In vivo evaluation with histologic correlation in an animal model

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of MR‐guided percutaneous cryotherapy of the porcine liver and to correlate the resulting tissue necrosis with MR imaging and histology. Using an MR‐compatible, argon‐based cryotherapy system (CryoHit; Galil Medical Ltd., Israel) with 2‐ and 3‐mm diameter tapered cryotherapy probes, MR‐guided percutaneous cryotherapy was performed in seven pigs (mean body weight, 40 kg) under general anesthesia in a short‐bore magnet (1.5 T ACS NT; Philips, The Netherlands) using an ultrafast T2‐weighted single‐shot LoLo TSE sequence and a T1‐weighted gradient‐echo sequence. The frozen liver tissue was depicted accurately on fast T2‐ and T1‐weighted sequences, providing precise delineation of the ablated tissue volume. On follow‐up postcontrast MR controls, the cryolesions appeared avascular. They decreased in size compared with the initially frozen volume down to 70% at a 2‐week follow‐up. Histologically, a coagulation necrosis with a close correlation to the MR follow‐up examinations was objectified. No cryotherapy‐related complications occurred. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;13:50–56. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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