BACKGROUND This study aimed to compare the application value of intraoperative fluorescence navigation technology (FNT) and intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) in primary liver cancer surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty consecutive patients with primary liver cancer scheduled to receive surgical treatment were divided into FNT group and IOUS group. FNT and IOUS were separately used to guide tumor resection and detect new cancerous lesions in the 2 groups. The complete tumor resection rate (R0) resection rate, length of the tumor distance from cutting edge, the diagnostic efficacy of cancerous nodules and the fluorescence imaging characteristics of different types tumors were recorded. RESULTS The R0 resection rate was 100% (25 out of 25 patients) in the FNT group and 96% (24 out of 25 patients) in the IOUS group. In the FNT group, 1 case (4%, 1 out of 25 patients) had cancer tissue that was less than 1 cm from the cutting edge, compared to 7 cases (28%, 7 out of 25 patients) in the IOUS group (P=0.049), which was a significant difference. In the remaining livers of 50 consecutive patients, FNT found 5 new cancerous nodules with a sensitivity of 71.4%, a specificity of 11.1%, and a false-positive rate of 88.9%; for IOUS the results were 42.9%, 88.9%, 11.1%. The fluorescence imaging characteristics of all well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas were tumor tissue imaging, but all other types of tumors were ring imaging around the tumor. CONCLUSIONS FNT can improve the R0 resection rate, ensure a safe distance between tumor and cutting edge and can identify more new cancerous nodules compared to IOUS. Thus, FNT could improve the surgical treatment effect for primary liver cancer and hopefully further improve the prognosis of patients.

Objective To investigate the difference of hepatic microvessel density, neovasculariza-tion of regenerating liver tissue after ablation of two ways of irreversible electroporation and radiofrequency ablation in rats. Methods 90 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, including the control group ( n =30), the irreversible electroporation group ( n =30 ) and the radiofrequency ablation group (n=30). 3,7 and 10 days were executed after the operation and draw material, expression of vascu-lar endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and CD34 in tissue was studied by immunohistochemistry, and the mi-crovascular density of tissue and VEGF positive cells were measured. Results The microvascular density of 3, 7 and 10 days in the control group was 50. 3 ± 12. 5, 54. 6 ± 11. 9 and 58. 2 ± 14. 7, the microvascular density of the radiofrequency ablation group was 18. 4 ± 4. 7, 17. 3 ± 5. 1 and 18. 1 ± 5. 9, respectively. The microvascular density of the irreversible electroporation group was 42. 8 ± 10. 4, 45. 6 ± 10. 2 and 49. 2 ± 13. 8, respectively. The positive cells of VEGF in control group was 50, 56 and 57 at 3, 7 and 10 days, and 32, 30 and 33 at 3, 7 and 10 days in radiofrequency ablation group, 44, 43 and 45 at 3, 7 and 10 days in irreversible electroporation group; expression of VEGF and CD34 in 3, 7, 10 d and the microvascular density of ablation area in radiofrequency ablation group was significantly lower than those in control group after irreversible electroporation and radiofrequency ablation. No significant differences were found between irreversible electroporation group and control group. Conclusion The irreversible electroporation can effectively protect the microvessels in the ablation area, ensure the tissue’s blood supply after the ablation, and provide a guarantee for the repair and regeneration of the tissue.

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a rare but serious postoperative complication associated with irreversible electroporation (IRE). We report a case of postoperative PVT in a 54-year-old woman who underwent IRE for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Drain removal and discharge of the patient from the hospital were scheduled on postoperative day (POD) 7; however, a magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed the presence of PVT. We suspected postoperative inflammation in the pancreas as the main cause of PVT. However, the patient did not undergo any medical treatment because she did not have any clinical symptoms, and she was discharged on POD 8.

Objective To evaluate the overall survival in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAC) treated with irreversible electroporation (IRE) and chemotherapy.Methods A retrospective study on the overall survival of 30 patients with LAC treated with IRE,and 30 patients with LAC treated with chemotherapy from July 2015 to October 2016 in the PLA General Hospital was conducted.Results For the 30 patients with LAC who underwent IRE successfully,there were 21 women and 9 men.The median age was 59 (36 ～81) years.Twenty-four patients had primary pancreatic head cancer and 6 had body cancer.Twelve (40.0％) of these patients had chemotherapy after the IRE ablation.The 90-day mortality in the IRE treated patients was 3 (10.0％).For the 30 patients with LAC who were treated with chemotherapy,the 90-day mortality was 6 (20.0％).In comparison of the IRE treated patients with the chemotherapy treated patients,improvements on disease-free survival (6 months vs.4 months,P ＜ 0.05) and overall survival (11 months vs.5.6 months,P ＜ 0.05) were observed.Conclusion IRE ablation of LAC was safe and could potentially improve overall survival when compared with the standard chemotherapy treatment.

Background:Locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma (LAPC) is characterized by poor prognosis despite recommended concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) has emerged as a potential option for the management of unresectable pancreatic cancer. This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and short-term efficacy of open IRE for the treatment of LAPC. Methods:Retrospective data of 25 consecutive patients receiving IRE for T3 lesions from July 2015 to June 2016 at a single center were analyzed. The perioperative and long-term IRE-related complications were reviewed to evaluate the safety of the procedure. The tumor reduction and biological response were analyzed through computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging; the serum level of CA19-9 was measured as a secondary endpoint to evaluate the short-term efficacy of IRE. Results:All patients were successfully treated; the median tumor size was 4.2 cm and the median IRE time was 36 min. Four intraoperative procedure-related complications were observed (16%): two transient hypertensive episodes, one hypotension case, and one transient supraventricular tachycardia case. Nine postoperative complications were described, including three Grade A pancreatic fistulas, three delayed gastric emptying, one acute pancreatitis, one upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and one portal vein thrombosis. The overall rate of stable disease was 28%, 36% achieved partial response, and lower serum CA19-9 levels were recorded in all patients at discharge. Conclusions:IRE is feasible for the treatment of LAPC and is a reasonable intervention strategy owing to its combined attributes of safety and efficacy.