Complications of multipolar radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of advanced liver cancer: clinical analysis and prevention

Objective: To summarize the causes of the complications related to multipolar radiofrequency ablation treatment for liver cancers, and to discuss the prevention countermeasure. Methods: A total of 106 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma were enrolled in this study. Multipolar radiofrequency ablation treatment (238 times in total) was carried out for these patients. Through clinical observation, the causes of complications produced by multipolar radiofrequency ablation were analyzed. Results: The most common postoperative complications were fever, pain, nausea and vomiting. Severe complications included cardiovascular accident, pneumothorax and bleeding, which occurred in 3 cases with one death. Conclusion: Although the treatment of advanced liver cancer with multipolar radiofrequency ablation has been proven to be an effective method, various complications may occur. A full understanding of these complications and standardized manipulation technique will help prevent the occurrence of the complications and manage them as well once they occur. (authors)