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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
Thermal Ablation for the Treatment of Abdominal Tumors
Published on: March 7, 2011
Image-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of unresectable hepatic tumors using a triple-spiral-shaped electrode
Loukas Thanos1, Loukia S Poulou, Panayiotis D Ziakas
1Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, General Hospital of Chest Diseases Sotiria, Athens, Greece.
Abstract:
We evaluated the safety and efficacy of image-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using a triple-spiral-shaped electrode needle for unresectable primary or metastatic hepatic tumors. Thirty-four patients with 46 index tumors were treated. Ablation zone, morbidity, and complications were assessed. The lesions were completely ablated with an ablative margin of about 1 cm. Five patients (14.7%) with a lesion larger than 4.5 cm had local tumor progression after 1 month and were retreated. Hemothorax, as a major complication, occurred in 1 of 34 patients (3.0%) or 1 of 46 lesions ablated (2.2%). RFA using this new electrode needle can be effective in the treatment of large unresectable hepatic tumors.
