After RFA, all patients require follow-up imaging on a regular basis to determine if the treated lesions have grown or if new lesions have developed. We typically perform a CT scan in 1 month, which then serves as our new “baseline” for future imaging. CT scans are then performed at 3 month intervals for 1 year. If the disease is stable at that point, this changes to performing CT scans at 6 month intervals.

RFA has been used with success to treat primary liver cancer (otherwise known as hepatocellular carcinoma) and cancers that have spread to the liver from other places, such as colon cancer. Surgical resection of these tumors in carefully selected patients can lead to significant long-term survival but only a small percentage of these patients are candidates for surgery.

No, ablation does not relate in any way to a coronary artery. Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary is the defining point to PTCA. Is the PTCA/Athr Intvl field tracking time between the last prior PTCA and CABG? So if a patient had a PTCA in 1984 and a CABG in 2000, would it be marked >6 hours? Or does this field pertain to PTCA/Ather Intvl during the admission of the CABG. Yes. Primary or direct stenting is done without angioplasty. All stent placement does not require angioplasty.

There are three basic types of systems used for RF ablation procedures. The specific RFA system and guidance method are chosen based on location and size of the tumor to be treated, proximity of large vessels, bleeding risk, the pathway that the needle-electrode has to take to enter the tumor, and the importance of minimizing collateral damage. The systems differ based on the length and configuration of the active tip of the needle-electrode.

Before the procedure, you will be asked to have nothing to eat or drink starting at midnight the evening before treatment. Your list of medications will be reviewed with our staff at the time of your consultation and you will be told which medications you may take in the morning of the procedure. If you are taking Coumadin, Plavix, or another blood thinner, you may need to stop taking that medication several days before the procedure.

Based on available data, outcomes appear to be excellent for patients with unresectable primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Reports show that well over 3,000 primary and metastatic liver tumors have been treated with RFA. These studies suggest that complete local response can be seen in 70-75% of patients with tumors ranging in diameter between 3 and 5 cm.

After the procedure, you may receive additional medication to prevent pain and nausea as the sedation wears off. Almost all of our patients are admitted overnight after the procedure to make sure that any pain is addressed with medication and to be certain that there are no post-procedure complications. You will need someone to take you home on the morning after the procedure. Once you arrive home, you can expect to have some mild post-procedure side effects.

Procedure-related complications tend to be unusual after RFA and tend to be dependent on the part of the body being treated.

Endovenous Radiofrequency Ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that has rendered vein stripping all but obsolete. The procedure consists of placing a catheter into the diseased vein through a needle puncture with virtually no scarring.   Radiofrequency energy (heat) is then applied that destroys the vein wall from the inside. There is minimal discomfort and patients typically resume their active lifestyles immediately.

The Radiofrequency ablation device used by the Liver Tumor Ablation Program has FDA 510K marketing authorization. The FDA typically does not approve devices but authorizes them for marketing. Surgical are not approved in the same manner as medications.

This is a procedure done at the surgery center to help control or stop abnormal bleeding or heavy periods. It is a painless and quick procedure done while you are asleep for 15 minutes. You can go home in 1 - 2 hours after the procedure and resume normal activity the next day. You cannot attempt pregnancy after this procedure is done. This is a simple option to alleviate abnormal bleeding and/or heavy periods without needing a hysterectomy!

If distance permits, we see patients again in four to six weeks after the procedure. Many patients live too far away for an office visit in Boston to be practicable, and a visit to the patient's local neurologist can serve as a substitute. We ask the patients to undergo a follow-up cerebral arteriogram in one year, in Boston if possible, so that the efficacy of the surgery can be assessed, and a satisfactory baseline for the future established.

Endovenous Laser Ablation Treatment is a treatment alternative to surgical stripping of the greater saphenous vein. A small laser fiber is inserted, usually through a needle stick in the skin, into the damaged vein. Pulses of laser light are delivered inside the vein, which causes the vein to collapse and seal shut. The procedure is done in-office under local anesthesia. Following the procedure a bandage or compression hose is placed on the treated leg.

ablation is a way to stop fast heart beats by interrupting an electrical short circuit. This allows the heart to beat at a regular, slower rate. An electrophysiologic study (EPS) must be done (refer to Learning for Life EPS) to determine the location of the abnormality in the heart's electrical system. Radio frequency (RF) ablation will be attempted during the first EPS or during a separate session.

On most inpatient services, each intern will admit 2-5 patients per admitting day and will carry an average census of 8-10 patients. However, census varies from service to service with the higher intensity services having slightly fewer patients. Intern services are strictly "capped" at 10 patients (the RRC nationally mandated number is 12) and interns may admit no more than 5 patients in a 24-hour period.

Very little. The day after the procedure, the patient's dressing will be removed. In 10-12 days, the patient's sutures will be removed from the donor area. Back to Top

Probably the most important use for RF energy is in providing telecommunications services. Radio and television broadcasting, cellular telephones, personal communications services (PCS), pagers, cordless telephones, business radio, radio communications for police and fire departments, amateur radio, microwave point-to-point links and satellite communications are just a few of the many telecommunications applications of RF energy.

RF electromagnetic wave or RF "field" has both an electric and a magnetic component (electric field and magnetic field), and it is often convenient to express the intensity of the RF environment at a given location in terms of units specific for each component.