Development of a single expandable PEIT needle and its clinical application

The current mainstream percutaneous local treatment for HCC is RFA with supplementary PEIT. PEIT is sometimes employed for HCC in high-risk locations, such as HCC close to the heart. However, even with PEIT it is markedly difficult to treat HCC located at the back ofblood vessels deep in the liver. We developed a single expandable PEIT needle to treat difficult-to-puncture HCC. The tip of an inner needle can be expandable vertically to the long axis. We used this technique to successfully treat a case of HCC in S1 at the back of portal vein at the liver hilum. The needle is equipped with features absent in other devices and is expected to become a new option for percutaneous local therapy of HCC.