Changes in the pulmonary function of CT-guided microwave ablation for patients with malignant lung tumors

Purpose:To investigate the changes in pulmonary function after computed tomography (CT)-guided microwave ablation (MWA) in patients with a malignant lung tumor.Materials and Methods:From June 2020 to January 2022, 133 patients with a malignant lung tumor who underwent CT-guided percutaneous MWA were included in the study. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were performed before (the baseline) and 1 month after the MWA. Vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1%, maximum mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), and diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO-SB) at 1 month post MWA were compared with that at the baseline. The time of procedure and post-procedure length of hospital stay were also recorded.Results:The mean VC, FVC, FEV1, FEV1%, MMEF, and DLCO-SB at the baseline and 1 month post MWA were 3.23 +/- 0.75 and 3.22 +/- 0.77 (P = 0.926), 3.20 +/- 0.75 and 3.21 +/- 0.77 (P = 0.702), 2.35 +/- 0.70 and 2.35 +/- 0.71 (P = 0.992), 91.97 +/- 23.14 and 91.87 +/- 23.16 (P = 0.837), 1.83 +/- 0.93 and 1.81 +/- 0.95 (P = 0.476), and 6.38 +/- 1.67 and 6.32 +/- 1.62 (P = 0.389), respectively. There was no significant difference in the PFT results before and 1 month post MWA. The mean time of procedure and post-MWA length of hospital stay were 33 min and 2.5 days, respectively.Conclusions:MWA is a lung parenchyma-sparing local treatment, and pulmonary function at 1 month post MWA was not statistically different from the baseline, indicating that MWA may not affect pulmonary function.