Sonographic-guided percutaneous fiducial marker implantation of hepatic malignancies for Cyberknife radiation therapy: Evaluation of safety and technical efficacy

Background: CyberKnife radiation therapy has a widely used system in the treatment of extracranial lesions. Implanting gold fiducial markers around a tumor is an important procedure for the planning and aiming of CyberKnife radiation therapy. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of percutaneous fiducial marker implantation of hepatic malignancies under sonographic guidance for CyberKnife radiation therapy. Materials and Methods: From April 2009 to November 2011, we retrospectively reviewed 30 percutaneous fiducial marker implantations in 30 patients with hepatic tumors. All patients underwent percutaneous fiducial marker implantation under sonographic guidance. The feasibility, safety, and efficacy of this technique were analyzed on immediate follow-up unenhanced computed tomography (CT) and 1-week follow-up contrast-enhanced CT. The efficacy of this technique was defined as implantation enabling adequate treatment planning and CT simulation. Results: All 30 patients (100%) had successful fiducial marker implantation under sonographic guidance. The mean number of fiducial markers implanted per patient was 4.30 (range: 4-6 seeds). There was one minor complication (3.33%, 1/30). All 30 patients successfully underwent CyberKnife radiation therapy after fiducial marker implantation. Conclusion: Sonographic-guided percutaneous fiducial marker implantation of hepatic malignancies is a feasible, safe, and effective technique for preparing patients before CyberKnife radiation therapy.