Overview of thermal ablation therapy for focal hepatic neoplasms

Percutaneous image-guided ablative therapies using thermal energy sources such as radiofrequency, microwave, high intensity focused ultrasound, cryotherapy, and laser have received much recent attention as minimally-invasive strategies for the treatment of focal malignancy in the liver. Potential benefits of these techniques include the ability to ablate tumor in non-surgical candidates, reduced morbidity as compared to surgery, and the potential to perform the procedure on an outpatient basis. This article will present an overview of the principles and techniques used for thermal ablation, as well as review the results of published clinical trials.