Mortality and postinterventional complications after ablative treatment of liver malignancies: A cohort study of 4374 patients

PURPOSE

Ablative therapies for primary and secondary liver malignancies are increasingly adopted in current guidelines. Nevertheless, surgical resection remains the gold standard in most curative therapy settings.

Extensive studies on mortality and morbidity after ablative treatment of the liver are missing. We investigated complications and mortality after ablative treatment in a large, unselected study cohort.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Standardized patient and treatment data in 4374 percutaneous and angiographic ablative procedures of the liver from the DRG-based hospital reimbursement system (diagnosis-related groups) of an academic hospital in Germany were retrospectively evaluated. We analyzed descriptive patient data, length of stay (LOS), pre-existing medical conditions, previous gastrointestinal surgeries, severe complications, and occurrence of death.

RESULTS

Treatment of secondary liver malignancies constituted over two-thirds of all procedures (71%, n = 3053). The mean LOS was 4.1 ± 3.5 days. Severe complications were documented in 1.4% and in-house death in 0.2% of cases, significantly more often after treatment with chemoembolization of primary liver malignancies (p = 0.003; p = 0.0001).

Previous partial liver resection, partial bowel resection, and chronic renal failure were independent risk factors for the occurrence of severe complications.

CONCLUSION

Severe complications and in-hospital death are rare in the treatment of primary and secondary liver malignancies with percutaneous and angiographic procedures.

They are a viable alternative or addition to a surgical approach in treating liver lesions.