Imaging Services

Radiofrequency Ablation (for select tumor management)

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses radiofrequency energy, a form of electrical current that can be used safely in the body, to eliminate liver, lung and kidney tumors.

During the procedure, the radiologist uses ultrasound or CT to guide a special needle electrode into the tumor. Radiofrequency energy is passed into the tumor, heating the tumor tissue near the needle tip and destroying it. Because healthy tissue can withstand more heat than a tumor, RFA can effectively destroy a tumor without affecting most of the normal tissue. The heat from the radiofrequency energy also closes small blood vessels, reducing the risk of bleeding.

The RFA procedure is most commonly performed percutaneously (“through the skin”), wherein the needle electrode is inserted through a small puncture in the abdominal wall.

RFA can generally be performed as an outpatient procedure, usually with some form of anesthesia.

Typically RFA is most effective if the tumor or tumors are less than two inches in diameter. RFA is usually not used to treat liver tumors if there is active cancer outside of the liver.

Benefits of RFA:

• Much less invasive than open surgery; side effects are less frequent and less serious
• In most studies, more than half the liver tumors treated by RFA have not returned
• Can be used repeatedly to treat recurrent tumors
• Complications related to treatment are rare
• Patients are usually able to resume their usual activities within a few days