Laparoscopic cryoablation of a metastatic carcinoid tumor.

Carcinoid tumors are rare, slow-growing neuroendocrine neoplasms that can cause a carcinoid syndrome. The majority of carcinoid syndromes are the result of multiple hepatic metastases and are usually unresectable. Medical therapy has not proven effective and often causes intolerable side effects. Cryoablation has emerged as a promising treatment for various hepatic lesions when resection is not an option and medical therapy has been exhausted. With the addition of laparoscopy, surgeons now possess a new technique to treat primary and various secondary liver lesions. We report for the first time laparoscopic cryoablation for the treatment of a carcinoid metastatic to the liver.