Limitation for performing ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation of small renal masses.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate which factor is involved in limiting ultrasound (US)-guided radiofrequency (RF) ablation of small renal masses.


METHODS
Twenty-five patients with 31 renal masses underwent image-guided RF ablation. If a lesion was visible on US, US-guided RF ablation was performed. If a lesion was invisible on US or if the lesion was incompletely ablated or recurred following US-guided RF ablation, CT-guided RF ablation was performed. We analyzed the various factors which were involved in US-guided RF ablation.


RESULTS
Of 31 masses, thirteen were US-visible lesions and underwent US-guided RF ablation whereas thirteen were US-invisible lesions and thus underwent CT-guided RF ablation. The remaining five lesions were US-visible but needed additional CT-guided RF ablation, due to incomplete ablation (n=4) or recurrence (n=1); these renal masses (3.1+/-1.0 cm) were significantly larger than those (1.8+/-0.6 cm) ablated with US alone (p<0.05). Steam bubbles (4.4 cm+/-0.7 cm) of the masses requiring additional CT-guided RF ablation were significantly larger than those (2.9 cm+/-0.7 cm) of the tumors completely ablated with US alone in size (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
US-invisibility, lesion size, and steam bubbles may limit to perform US-guided RF ablation of small renal masses.
Park
Byung Kwan
BK
The Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 135-710 Seoul, Republic of Korea. rapark@skku.edu
Kim
Chan Kyo
CK
Choi
Han Yong
HY
Lee
Hyun Moo
HM
Jeon
Seong Soo
SS
Seo
Seong Il
SI
Han
Deok Hyun
DH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D055815:Young Adult