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DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1281662
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York
Severe Skin Burn at Needle Entry Point Complicating Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Schwere Hautverbrennung am Nadeleintrittspunkt als Komplikation einer Radiofrequenzablation bei hepatozellulärem KarzinomPublication History
received: 10.4.2011
accepted: 19.7.2011
Publication Date:
31 August 2011 (online)
![](https://www.thieme-connect.de/media/ultraschall/201207/lookinside/thumbnails/10.1055-s-0031-1281662-1.jpg)
Introduction
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and is the leading cause of death among patients with cirrhosis in Europe and the USA. US-guided percutaneous ablation, with either percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA), is currently regarded as the first-line approach in the treatment of early-stage HCC deemed unsuitable for surgery or liver transplantation. RFA of focal liver lesions is considered safe and effective and has a periprocedural mortality rate of 0.3 %. Major complications occur in 0.9 – 2.5 % of cases and the most common ones are peritoneal bleeding, neoplastic seeding along the needle track, liver abscess, intestinal perforation and bile duct injury (Livraghi T et al. Radiology 2003; 226: 441 – 451; Giorgio A et al. Am J Roentgenol 2005; 184: 207 – 211). Major complications include skin burn at the ground pad site. This complication has been reported to occur in about 0.2 % of cases, but the risk seems to increase with the use of a high-current RFA technique if the surface area of the ground pad is not increased (Rim H et al. Radiographics 2003; 23: 123 – 134). In contrast, the occurrence of skin burn at the point of needle entry into the abdominal wall is very rare. The following provides a report of a peculiar case of serious skin burn at the needle entry point requiring major therapeutic intervention.
Dr. Matteo Garcovich
Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Sacred Heart
Largo Gemelli, 8
00168 Rome
Italy
Phone: ++ 39/3 88 84 09 94 2
Fax: ++ 39/6 63 55 02 77 5
Email: matteogarcovich@yahoo.it