📖 What is percutaneous tumour ablation?
Percutaneous tumour ablation is the direct destruction of a tumour by inserting a probe through the skin under imaging guidance (CT or ultrasound). The probe delivers energy (heat for RFA/microwave, cold for cryoablation) to destroy the tumour while sparing surrounding tissue. No incision — only a needle puncture.
At Cochin AP-HP, ablation is performed by senior interventional radiologists using the guidage scanner per-procédure with haute résolution scanner haute résolution scanner — the most advanced per-procedural imaging system available.
🔧 Techniques
🌡️ Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
Electrical current heats tissue to 60–100°C, causing cell death. Reference technique for lesions <3 cm. Fast, precise, excellent long-term data.
📡 Microwave ablation (MWA)
Electromagnetic energy produces larger ablation zones more quickly. Preferred for lesions >3 cm or near blood vessels (less heat sink effect).
❄️ Cryoablation
Freeze–thaw cycles at −40°C. Ablation zone visible on CT in real time. Preferred near sensitive structures (nerves, bile ducts, ureter).
🏥 guidage scanner per-procédure guidance
Hybrid angiography + haute résolution CT suite. Enables per-procedural high-resolution CT, spectral imaging, and contrast injection to confirm complete ablation.
🎯 Organs and indications
- Liver — hepatocellular carcinoma (≤5 cm), liver metastases (colorectal, neuroendocrine)
- Kidney — renal cell carcinoma T1a (≤4 cm), as alternative to surgery
- Lung — primary NSCLC stage I, oligometastatic pulmonary disease
- Bone — osteoid osteoma (95% cure, single session), painful bone metastases
- Thyroid — benign nodules (RFA/microwave/cryoablation), 50–80% volume reduction
- Soft tissue — desmoid tumours, subcutaneous metastases, abdominal wall endometriosis
❓ Frequently asked questions
🔗 Related pages
🇫🇷 This page is also available in French: ablation-percutanee-definition.html
✓ Why this page is trustworthy
Written by the Interventional Radiology team at Cochin Hospital AP-HP, Université Paris Cité. Medically reviewed by an interventional radiologist of the department. Last updated: August 2026.