Overview of Thermal Ablation: Plasma-Mediated Ablation

Plasma-mediated ablation uses bipolar radiofrequency energy to excite the electrolytes in a conductive medium, such as saline solution, creating a precisely focused plasma ion field. The high-energy ionized plasma breaks down intramolecular bonds and produces local decompression by cavitating or dissolving soft tissue at relatively low temperatures. In the literature, it is otherwise referred to as radiofrequency ionization, plasma-radiofrequency or plasma-RF ablation, or controlled ablation or cold ablation. Alternatively, the term coblation has been coined, that is actually a registered trademark of ArthroCare, US, pioneer of plasma-mediated ablation in spine interventional procedures.