Comparison of Renal Ablation with Cryotherapy, Dry Radiofrequency, and Saline Augmented Radiofrequency in A Porcine Model

Radiofrequency tissue ablation in an experimental model of grade IV renal trauma: a preliminary report

“…Analogous histologic findings in RFA lesions have already been reported [1,3,6,11]. With RFA, a kind of suboptimal tissue fixation is produced through a thermally induced permanent protein denaturation and relative dehydration inside zone I.…”

“…More recently, it has also been applied to kidney lesion [1,11]. It is well known that when the tissue temperature rises to >54°C, proteins denature and the surrounding tissue is destroyed by coagulation necrosis.…”

Comparison of Radiofrequency Ablation, Cryoablation, and Nephrectomy in Treating Implanted VX-2 Carcinoma in Rabbit Kidneys

“…12 This is likely a result of an attempt to ablate large renal tumors, which is not a factor in our study because of the small size of the model. As RF technology evolves, incomplete ablation should be a less significant problem.…”

“…Already, large zones of necrosis (up to 7.0 cm) have been achieved using combinations of salinecooled electrodes, multiple-prong electrodes, and saline infusion during ablation to decrease impedance and increase the amount of energy that can be delivered. 12 Other technological improvements under investigation include bipolar electrodes, simultaneously energized multiple electrodes, and intravenously injected adjuvant agents. We believe that these improvements will make it possible for RF ablation to deliver lethal temperatures to a tumor of virtually any size in the near future.…”

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and minimally invasive nephronsparing surgery

“…The data available on RFA and its clinical efficacy are in their infancy, even compared with cryotherapy. Additionally, one study [59] found that RFA produced incomplete lesions compared with cryotherapy in the porcine model. Further studies will be necessary in order to assess the efficacy of both modalities.…”