Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a new local therapy, has recently been developed for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we have checked for the factors influencing the recurrence of HCC following RFA. We gave special emphasis to complete coagulation. The study population was comprised of 47 patients (80 tumors) with HCC with tumor size of <3 cm in maximal diameter. The patients were observed for a period of 2-3 years (average 865 days). The local recurrence rate was 19% at the end of 1 year, and 21% by the end of 2 years. The patients with local recurrence received significantly fewer RFA sessions (P<0.05) compared to patients with no recurrence. The frequencies of complete coagulation were significantly less (P<0.05) in patients with local recurrence than patients without local recurrence. The distant recurrence rate was 38% at 1 year, and 60% at 2 years. Patients with distant recurrence had significantly increased number of tumors (2.0+/-1.4) (P<0.05) compared to patients without distant recurrence (1.2+/-0.4). In conclusion, obtaining complete coagulation is an important factor to prevent local recurrence and the number of tumors predicted the distant recurrence in patients with HCC undergoing RFA.