Hepatic Cryoablation–Induced Acute Lung Injury

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Abstract
LIVER RESECTION remains the standard treatment for primary and selected metastatic tumors in the liver. Recently, hepatic cryoablation has been used to ablate tumors that are otherwise unresectable. This technique involves circulation of liquid nitrogen through metallic probes placed on the surface or into the center of the tumor. A cycle of rapid freezing followed by gradual thawing of the tumor and surrounding hepatic parenchyma induces cell death by a variety of mechanisms, including internal freezing, cell membrane rupture, solute-solvent shifts, and hypoxic cell death from small-vessel obliteration.1-3 This therapy appears to result in tumor ablation and patient survival comparable with that of hepatic resection4-10 in selected single-center series.