Percutaneous ethanol injection, performed under ultrasound guidance, can be used to successfully ablate solid and cystic masses in a variety of anatomic locations. Ethanol, as a treatment agent, combines the benefits of being widely available, inexpensive, safe, and easy to administer. Ultrasound, as a guidance method, provides continuous real-time needle visualization so that the ethanol can be precisely injected into the mass. Hepatocellular carcinoma and parathyroid adenoma, which are the two solid masses that are most commonly treated with ethanol ablation, can be ablated with this technique with a high degree of success and low rate of complications. Symptomatic cystic masses such as renal cysts and hepatic cysts can also be successfully ablated through the use of ethanol injection. This article will review the current indications, techniques, and results of the procedure of percutaneous ethanol injection of solid and cystic masses as it is used in the practice of radiology today.
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Carl C. Reading (1994) studied this question.