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Updated: May 30, 2026
Thermal Ablation for the Treatment of Abdominal Tumors
Published on: March 7, 2011
First percutaneous computed tomography-guided radiofrequency ablation of renal tumor in horseshoe kidney
Adrián Husillos-Alonso1, Gonzalo Bueno-Chomón, Enrique Lledó-García
1Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain. adrhusillos@hotmail.com
Objective:
To report the first case of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of a tumor in a horseshoe kidney.
Materials And Methods:
A 75-year-old man presented with a 3-cm solid mass on the isthmus of a horseshoe kidney. The tumor was discovered incidentally on a routine computed tomography scan performed during follow-up of a colon carcinoma treated with open hemicolectomy. The patient presented a high anesthetic risk (American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 3) because of a comorbid cardiovascular condition. Biopsy of the mass revealed type I papillary carcinoma. We performed percutaneous radiofrequency ablation using a posterior approach.
Results:
No complications occurred, and postoperative computed tomography 3 months after the procedure showed no significant contrast enhancement in the treated area.
Conclusions:
To our knowledge, this is the first case of a tumor in a horseshoe kidney satisfactorily treated with percutaneous radiofrequency ablation. The technique could represent an alternative to traditional surgery in selected cases.
