 Dr. Jayaraj Govindaraj, Senior Consultant, Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences,
Apollo Specialty Hospital has successfully performed Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) to cure painful bone tumour. It is for the first time in India that this technique has been applied on bone tumour. RFA is a modern alternative form of treating painful bone tumours like osteoid osteoma and metastases.
RFA is a 100% cure for certain types of tumours that are not over three to five
centimeters. The procedure was performed on 17-year- old Asim from Vishakapatnam recently at Apollo Specialty in Teynampet, Chennai. The operation took one and a half hours. Asim has been advised rest but is on the road to speedy recovery. He will soon join his school and continue his academic life.
Neoplastic disease has traditionally been approached either systematically with chemotherapy or locally with surgery or Radiation therapy. Recent state-of-the-art advances in minimally invasive Radiofrequency ablation are adding another therapeutic tool.
With this new technique, painful bone tumours like osteoid osteoma and metastasesin vertebrae can be treated effectively. The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia/conscious sedation. But in this case, the patient was given complete anaesthesia, as there was some bone drilling required.
 Using CT Imaging guidance and special co-axial bone needles/trephine, the Radiofrequency needle electrode is precutaneously and non-operatively placed in accurate position into the lesion location in the bone.
A strong Radiofrequency energy of 150W is applied through the needle electrode into the bone lesion until the local tissue temperature reaches 90-100 C. This is maintained steadily for 5-6 minutes. This Radiofrequency application may be repeated 3-4 times at the lesion.
The lesion undergoes cell death by local thermocoagulation and treatment is effectively concluded. The patent is pain-free and cured of his incapacitating problem.
 17-year-old Asim with recurrent and increasing pain the left groin and upper thigh was diagnosed to have osteoid osteoma of the left thigh bone. The Radiofrequency Ablation technique performed for the first time in the country in Apollo Speciality Hospital has completely relieved his incapacitating pain and he will be free to perform well in
school, pursue his career and lead a normal life, hereafter.
Radiofrequency Ablation has emerged as a simple, safe, easy and predictable technique for thermal ablation in the liver, kidney,
heart, prostate, breast, brain, lymphnodes, nerve ganglia and bone.
It is becoming increasingly popular since it is minimally invasive without the morbidity and prolonged hospitalization seen in surgical methods of treatment.
For more details, contact Dr. Jayaraj Govindaraj, MD, DNBE,
Senior Consultant
Dept. of Radiology & Imaging Sciences
Apollo Specialty Hospital, Teynampet,
Chennai.
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Radiofrequency Ablation on Bone Tumour
