Comparison of Radiofrequency Ablation with Saturated Saline Preinjection and Renal Artery Occlusion: In Vivo Study in Canine Kidneys

Abstract

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment used for renal cell carcinomas that preserves renal function (1, 2). Previous clinical studies on renal RFA reported good results for treatment of small renal tumors (1-6). However, large renal tumors (> 3 cm) were not completely eradicated by RFA using a single electrode in one treatment session (2-6). For complete tumor ablation, RFA should induce an ablation zone large enough to cover the entire tumor with the ideal ablative margin (0.5-1 cm) (7). Monopolar RFA using a single electrode in one treatment session has limitations in regards to its ability to induce an adequately sized ablation zone for large tumor. Sequentially overlapping single electrode ablation can be used for large tumors (8); however, repositioning the electrode into an untreated tumor area is difficult and requires additional Original Article