Successful radiofrequency ablation of an anterior abdominal wall desmoid in familial adenomatous polyposis.
BACKGROUND
Desmoid tumours are an important cause of mortality in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). There are few effective treatment strategies. This report describes the use of radiofrequency ablation to debulk and palliate an abdominal wall desmoid tumour in FAP.


METHODS
A 22 year old woman with FAP developed a large abdominal wall desmoid tumour after restorative proctocolectomy. The tumour was treated with 16 separate radiofrequency ablations. The follow up was 36 months from the first ablation.


RESULTS
The procedure was well tolerated with minor complications; mild superficial cellulitis and skin ulceration occurred following only one of the ablation sessions. Repeated radiofrequency treatments resulted in a sustained reduction in size and symptoms from the desmoid tumour.


CONCLUSIONS
Given the low efficacy of treatments for desmoids in FAP, radiofrequency ablation appears to be a promising modality.
Department of General Surgery, University of Manchester and Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust, Manchester, UK. emma.barrow@doctors.org.uk
E
E
Barrow
K
K
Newton
B
B
Rajashanker
S
S
Lee
D G
DG
Evans
J
J
Hill
D034861:Abdominal Wall / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011125:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D018221:Fibromatosis, Abdominal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016737:Proctocolectomy, Restorative / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult