Work

Manufacturer-chart versus measured ablation volumes after microwave ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic livers: a retrospective cohort study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Objectives To assess agreement between manufacturer-chart volumes and immediate and 1-month measured ablation volumes (AV) after microwave ablation (MWA) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a cohort of patients with cirrhosis. Materials and methods This single-center retrospective cohort included patients with cirrhosis and BCLC stage 0/A/B HCC who underwent MWA between November 28, 2022, and June 30, 2025. The database cutoff was March 31, 2026. Forty-three lesions in 29 patients were treated during 29 procedures under ultrasound or CT hepatic arteriography guidance. Immediate and 1-month measured volumes were compared with values recorded from the manufacturer’s in vivo liver chart. The primary difference was defined as measured minus predicted volume. Bland–Altman analyses included all 43 pairs and used a patient-level random-intercept model; a one-lesion-per-patient sensitivity analysis was also performed. Results Measured volume was smaller than predicted in 41/43 lesions (95.3%; 95% CI, 84.2%–99.4%). The cluster-adjusted mean bias was − 8.50 cm 3 (95% CI, − 10.28 to − 6.71), with limits of agreement from − 18.63 cm 3 (95% CI, − 20.93 to − 15.45) to 1.64 cm 3 (95% CI, − 0.99 to 3.78). The proportional-bias slope was 0.34 (95% CI, 0.02–0.65; p = 0.037), and residual dispersion increased with pair mean ( p = 0.010). The adjusted difference between subcapsular and perivascular lesions was 1.83 cm 3 (95% CI, − 1.98 to 5.65; p = 0.331). Conclusions In this selected cohort of HCCs in cirrhotic livers, measured ablation volumes were frequently smaller than manufacturer-chart values.

Source: CVIR Oncology

DOI: 10.1007/s44343-026-00066-y