Thermal Protection during Percutaneous Thermal Ablation of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Thermal injury to collateral structures is a known complication of thermal ablation of tumors. The authors present the use of CO2 dissection and inserted balloons to protect the bowel during percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation and cryotherapy of primary and locally recurrent renal cell carcinoma. These techniques offer the potential to increase the number of tumors that can be treated with RF ablation or cryotherapy from a percutaneous approach.