Radiofrequency Ablation for Liver Tumors

Using radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to destroy liver tumors is a promising alternative for patients who cannot endure surgery but require immediate removal of tumors.

The procedure can be done quickly, with little pain and minimal recovery time, and as often as needed, according to Rendon Nelson, M.D., a radiologist at Duke University (Durham, NC, USA; www.mc.duke.edu) who has performed more than 100 such procedures on tumors in the liver, kidneys, and bones since May 1999.

Ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) are used to guide a small probe through a quarter-inch incision in the skin and directly to the tumor site. This probe is connected to an electronic device that delivers radiofrequency energy from the tip of several slender needles protruding from the probe. The procedure takes only an hour or two, followed by four to six hours of resting in a recovery room. After that, the patient, needing only a small bandage, can drive home.

"The procedure is better tolerated than surgery, there is no large abdominal wound to heal, and we can do the procedure as often as necessary,” said Dr. Nelson. "And the survival rate may end up being the same as with surgery, although it is too soon to tell yet.”




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