Chapter 372 - The Soon-To-Be Antiquated Hepatic Lobectomy (1/2)

Despite knowing the ins and outs of the case, Chang Yue asked Zheng Ren, “Chief Zheng, what are the tests to be scheduled?”

It was a show of respect to the lead surgeon.

More importantly, a second pair of eyes could help spot mistakes. It would not do if the surgery had to be stopped or postponed because of a silly mistake.

“Standard blood work, a coagulation factors test, a liver function test, an electrocardiogram, and a 64-slice CT scan should be sufficient. Call me when you’re heading to the CT room, I’ll get the doctor to have a look at her lungs,” Zheng Ren said.

“She’ll be going through another embolization?” Chang Yue asked.

Zheng Ren thought for a moment, then said, “We’ll run through the checks first. If everything is good, we can perform a radiofrequency ablation.”

His words caught Su Yun’s attention.

“Boss, when did you learn that?” Su Yun questioned.

“I saw it once and that was enough,” Zheng Ren quoted Su Yun’s usual boast.

With the Internet, it was easy to get a hold of surgery footage, especially when one had contacts in larger hospitals.

Su Yun did not doubt Zheng Ren’s method, but he was not impressed by the answer.

Professor Rudolf chimed in with his Northeastern Mandarin, “Boss, are you performing a radiofrequency ablation on this big sister?”

The foreign professor’s local slang took Zheng Yunxia by surprise.

“Yes.” Zheng Ren nodded.

Radiofrequency ablation was a minimally-invasive procedure to treat localized tumors. The procedure was preferred when treating primary liver cancer.

For tumors with a diameter of 3cm of less, radiofrequency ablation had a 70% chance of killing all the cancer cells. The treatment efficiency was on par with that of a surgical excision.

Surgical excisions involving the liver were considered major surgeries. Therefore, as surgical procedures improved alongside technological advancement, doctors aimed to reduce the incision wound and minimize damage to the patient’s body.

In radiofrequency ablation, the patient was required to undergo local anesthesia. The CT scan would determine the needle’s point of entry and after 15 minutes of ablation, the treatment would be complete.

The patient would feel mild pain during the procedure but, in most cases, it was bearable. An additional dose of intramuscular pain relief could be administered to patients with lower pain tolerance.

The patient can get out of bed after six hours of rest and resume normal activity on the second day. The negative effects on liver function were lesser than an interventional procedure.

Radiofrequency ablation was a way to cure liver cancer.

However, due to its strict criteria, the procedure could only be employed against certain tumors. Nonetheless, the procedure had been tried and tested many times in medical history.

The progress of clinical research brought many changes to the field of medicine and surgery. Improvements were constantly being made to treatments and procedures for the sake of patients.

In the future, hepatic lobectomy would slowly disappear from a hospital’s repertoire.

The procedure would only be used in the case of severe liver trauma, but for liver cancer treatment, interventional embolization and radiofrequency ablation would be better suited for the task.

Zheng Ren spent some time thinking. There was only a simple description for Zheng Yunxia’s illness in the System’s display. Based on his a.s.sessment, Zheng Ren believed she would be eligible for radiofrequency ablation treatment this round.

Similar to a lobectomy, they would hope to see a stop in the spread of the metastatic carcinomatosis cirrhosis after the radiofrequency ablation. If there was no relapse, they would have successfully saved Zheng Yunxia’s life.

Radiofrequency ablation…

Zheng Ren got his phone out and dialed a number.

“Director Zhang, h.e.l.lo.

“Yes. I have informed Chief Pan of my absence and would like to perform a few procedures in the coming few days. Are your staff free to entertain me?

“About ten or so, I’m sure the Secondary Hospital does not lack patients. We can lower the fee, but I worry about the hospital’s capacity for post-surgery care and treatment…

“Okay. Yes, of course. We’ll meet soon then.”

The call ended.

Su Yun frowned at Zheng Ren. The man’s thoughts jumped from one topic to another without any rhyme or reason.