Radiofrequency ablation for liver tumour treatment

: This review presents the status of the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of liver tumours. RFA is used in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinomas and colorectal liver metastases among others. The procedure can be done using percutaneous, laparoscopic and open surgical approaches. Many variables affect the outcome, and the comparison is difficult to conduct. Percutaneous RFA is less invasive, whereas better control of local recurrence and complete ablation may be achieved by open surgical RFA and laparoscopic RFA. However, open surgical RFA is associated with more complications and longer post-procedural hospitalisation than laparoscopic RFA and percutaneous RFA.