Imaging of Percutaneous Ablative Therapy for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Incidental diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has increased over the past decade due to the expanded use of imaging. The recommended treatment for T1a RCC by the American Urological Association (AUA) is partial nephrectomy; however, for some patients, such as the elderly and patients with comorbidities, surgical options may be limited. Ablative therapy serves as an alternative procedure, proving to be equally effective as partial nephrectomy. Minor complications have been reported and deemed acceptable, while major complications requiring immediate intervention are rare. Cross-sectional imaging modalities, such as computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are vital for tumor detection, pretreatment assessment, risk stratification, and postoperative follow-up to evaluate treatment outcomes.