Percutaneous Ethanol Injection: Liver and Beyond
摘要
In most centers, PEI has lost its role in the treatment of small HCC. In those patients, thermal ablation became the first choice treatment since more complete tumor necrosis will be achieved using thermal ablation techniques. However, within the last decade combined treatments using TACE and PEI as well as RF-ablation and PEI have proven its potential to prolong survival compared to TACE or RF ablation alone in small HCC. Even stage BCLC-B and BCLC-C patients may benefit from additional PEI as far as they are candidates for TACE. PEI may also be an effective treatment in primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism, in benign nodular thyroid disease used for sclerotherapy of solid nontoxic and autonomously functioning nodules as well as cystic nodules of the thyroid gland. Further indications are thyroid neck cancer metastases in patients who have undergone previous neck dissection. Although beyond the scope of this chapter, symptomatic hydatid cysts and symptomatic low-flow venous malformations are first line indications of PEI.