MEDRADSC 3C03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Radiofrequency Ablation, Cryoablation, Necrosis

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Medical Radiation Sciences
• Course: MEDRADSC 3C03
• Professor: Meaghan Jefferson

Document Summary

Transarterial chemoembolization (not an ablation, can be done in combination with ablative therapies) Injecting absolute alcohol into tissues - kills tissue on contact; one of the first methods of ablation. 1990"s randomized trials confirmed complete necrosis of small hcc"s. Multiple treatment sessions (multiple injections to the tumour) Difficult to define borders for the treatment - don"t want to inject a massive amount, want to limit to the area of concerns but hard to see where the borders lie. Radiofrequency ablation increased the overall survival rate at 3-4 years with fewers treatments so it is preferred - transition away from. Performed by placing a 19g needle in the center of the tumour. Alcohol droplets will appear on us as hypoechoic cloud (usually inject about 10-20 ml) Repeated weekly - multiple injections if a stand alone treatment. Alcohol leak into the peritoneal cavity is very painful !