Microwave Ablation Compared with Radiofrequency Ablation in Lung Tissue–Is Microwave Not Just for Popcorn Anymore?

In this issue of Radiology, Brace et al (1) showed that, compared with radiofrequency (RF) ablation, larger and more circular zones of thermal necrosis with faster growth of the ablation zone can be achieved with microwave ablation in a swine lung model. To my knowledge, this study is the first comparison of these ablation modalities in the lung and, given the observed differences, future clinical trials for evaluation of available technologies for the treatment of patients with pulmonary neoplasms are warranted.