Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with CO₂ Injection for Treatment of Retroperitoneal Tumor: Protecting Surrounding Organs Against Thermal Injury

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to separate target tumors from adjacent structures by injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) around the tumor to avoid thermal injury and the heat-sink effect from the blood vessel during percutaneous radiofrequency ablation. CONCLUSION: We successfully achieved complete ablation of a retroperitoneal tumor without thermal injury. Imaging-guided percutaneous CO2 injection is useful for preventing thermal injury while achieving complete ablation of the tumor during radiofrequency ablation.