BACKGROUND Large-tip (10 mm) catheters (LTCs) and open-irrigation-tip catheters (OITCs), both capable of creating large lesions, are more effective than conventional catheters for cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation. However, it is not clear whether complete CTI block can be achieved more efficiently using an LTC or an OITC. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of radiofrequ...

Clinical studies indicate the potential of bronchoscopic thermal vapor ablation to result in clinically relevant improvements in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with upper lobe-predominant emphysema. However, the mechanisms by which vapor ablation results in lung volume reduction are not fully known. This study determined the 3-month safety and efficacy of vapor ablation i...

OBJECTIVE To determine the relative effectiveness of second generation ablation techniques in the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding. DESIGN Network meta-analysis on the primary outcome measures of amenorrhoea, heavy bleeding, and patients' dissatisfaction with treatment. DATA SOURCES Nineteen randomised controlled trials (involving 3287 women) were identified through electronic searches...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Thermal balloon ablation is a minimally invasive surgical technique that can be used to treat abnormal uterine bleeding/heavy menstrual bleeding (AUB/HMB). Most published studies to date provide information on short-term patient satisfaction and outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine long-term patient satisfaction after thermal balloon endometrial ablation...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Several biomarkers have been used for evaluation and quantification of myocardial injury after effective ablation. We studied possible different thermal stability and usability of the proteins released by cardiac cells injured by different energy sources. METHODS Firstly, we tested in vitro thermal stability of creatinine kinase (CK), myocardial bound creatinine ki...

Management of pain from skeletal metastases is notoriously difficult. Case reports and case series have described radiofrequency ablation of the obturator nerve branches to the femoral head for treatment of intractable hip pain. Ablation of the obturator branches to the femoral head is technically difficult because of bony and vascular anatomy, including close proximity of the femoral vessels. ...

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) facilitates noninvasive image-guided conformal thermal therapy of cancer. Yet in many scenarios, the sensitive tissues surrounding the tumor constrain the margins of ablation; therefore, augmentation of MRgFUS with chemotherapy may be required to destroy remaining tumor. Here, we used 64Cu-PET-CT, MRI, autoradiography, and fluorescence imagi...

PURPOSE The aim of this study is to determine the predictive value of preoperative blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for recurrence in recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (RHCC) patients following thermal ablation. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study enrolled 506 RHCC patients who underwent thermal ablation from April 2006 to April 2014. The clinicopathological parameters in...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to assess the acute ablative characteristics of transurethral convective water vapor (steam) using the Rezūm(®) system in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia through histologic and radiographic studies. METHODS Seven patients were treated with transurethral intraprostatic injections of sterile steam under endoscopic visualization followed by previous...

The reported complete response rate after single session of chemoembolization for small hepatocellular carcinomas ranged from 75% to 80% on mRECIST evaluation of imaging studies. However, considerable proportion of tumor nodules with complete initial response after chemoembolization show local tumor progression during long-term follow-up. The cumulative 5-year local tumor progression rate of ch...