Liquid Nitrogen-Based cryoablation: Complication rates for lung, bone, and soft tissue tumors cryoablation.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the complication rate during and 24 hours after cryoablation in lung, bone, and soft tissue tumors. We reviewed complications in a total of 85 consecutive patients who underwent cryoablation using a liquid nitrogen-based system in various lesions between April 2017 and October 2022. There were none liver and renal lesions. Complications were categorized using the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) classification. 85 patients were treated for 96 lesions in the bone (36.4%; 35 of 96), lung (18.8%; 18 of 96), and soft tissue (44.8%; 43 of 96). The primary technical success rate was 97.7% (83 of 85). The total grade 2 and 1 complication rates were 5.2% (5/96) and 20.8% (20/96), respectively. Two patients had asymptomatic pulmonary embolisms incidentally noted at the 24-hour follow-up computed tomography (grade 2). The most frequent complications were simple and hemorrhagic pleural effusions (18.7%; 18 of 96). Lung procedures had the highest complication rate where 13 patients (72.2%; 13 of 18) reporting complications, including two cases of symptomatic hydropneumothorax requiring drainage (grade 2) and an additional two days of hospital stay. Eight patients (24.2%; 8 of 33) with bone lesions and four (9.3%; 4 of 43) with soft tissue lesions experienced complications. Cryoablation using a liquid nitrogen-based system is safe, with only minor complications observed.