Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
Published on: August 28, 2018
Assessment of cold sink effect in postulated renal cryoablation by analyzing radiographic ice ball on computed
Sung Yoon Park1,2, Jong Yun Won1, Young Taik Oh1
1Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Objective:
We analyzed CT characteristics of radiographic ice ball according to anatomical location and freezing number in renal cryoablation.
Methods:
30 patients who underwent percutaneous cryoablation for renal lesions. Computed tomography (CT) was conducted at 9 min during every freezing in order to evaluate a radiographic ice ball. Software was used to reconstruct CT images of the radiographic ice ball perpendicular to cryoprobes. For each radiographic ice ball, two types of radius were measured: (a) lateral radius from epicenter to perirenal direction and (b) medial radius from epicenter to renal sinus direction. Lateral and medial radius or diameters (lateral radius plus medial radius) during the first and second freezing were compared using paired t-test, respectively.
Results:
Medial radius of radiographic ice ball was significantly shorter than lateral radius (first freezing, 13.8 vs 17.0 mm, p < 0.001; second freezing, 16.0 vs 19.3 mm, p < 0.001). The diameter during the second freezing was significantly longer than that during the first freezing (35.3 vs 30.8 mm, p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
In renal cryoablation, evaluating radiographic ice ball helps identify potential postulated cold sink effect in the central portion of kidney.
Advances In Knowledge:
Radiologic information of postulated cold sink effect in the kidney may help secure sufficient safety margins.
Related Concept Videos
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
Basic Postulates of Kinetic Molecular Theory: Particle Size, Energy, and Collision
Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Cold Weather Concreting
To counteract the negative impacts of cold weather, ensuring...
Design Example: Analyzing Capacity Contours for Flood Risk Assessment

