Does microwave ablation improve ablation characteristics compared to radiofrequency ablation in a hepatic porcine model?
Microwave ablation produces similar ablation zones to radiofrequency ablation but may be less susceptible to the heat-sink effect in a hepatic porcine model.
MW and RF ablation zones are similar in pathologic appearance and imaging characteristics. Increased length with MW ablation is likely caused by the length of the radiating segment of the antenna. MW ablation may be less affected by the heat-sink effect that is thought to contribute to local recurrence after RF ablation.
Wright et al. (Fri,) studied this question.