ULTRASOUND-GUIDED RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION OF RENAL TUMORS

Abstract

Background: Treatment of small renal masses continues to be a matter of discrepancy, due to their indolent evolution. Tumor ablation therapies in the kidney are currently widely applied, with good results in selected patients. The objective of this work was to determinate the success and complications of renal tumor ablation by radiofrequency with a percutaneous approach under ultrasound guidance.
Method: A descriptive retrospective study of patients with renal tumors undergoing tumor ablation by radiofrequency guided by ultrasound is presented. Patients with a clinical and imaging diagnosis of a renal tumor were consecutively selected. All were treated by the same team of specialists, in a single center, with outpatient hospitalization.
Results: A total of 10 patients were included, with an average age of 67.3, of which 40% were women and 60% men. Ninety percent had comorbidities (10% single kidney). In 70% the tumor was located in the right kidney. The average size of the tumors was 2.6 cm, 90% were reported as peripheral, and the remaining 10% had central location. The percentage of postoperative complications was 20%. No major complications or deaths were reported. The mean follow-up time was 8.4 months. Complete ablation was achieved in 90%.
Conclusion: Percutaneous renal tumor ablation with ultrasound-guided radiofrequency is a safe and effective procedure. It offers the advantage of a minimally invasive procedure.