Abstract
Microwave ablation is a recent development in the field of tumor ablation that uses
electromagnetic waves to establish a microwave near-field with direct tissue heating.
Some of the limitations of the earlier generation devices had been unpredictable size
and shape of the ablation zones with changes in the surrounding tissue environment
as well as differences across various different tissue types. The Emprint Ablation
System with Thermosphere Technology (Covidien, Boulder, CO) is the most recent generation
ablation system that attempts to produce predictable large spherical zones of ablation
despite varying tissue environments across different tissue types such as liver, lung,
and bone to name a few. This article will discuss these recent device developments
as well as review some basic microwave characteristics.
Keywords
microwave ablation - radiofrequency ablation - thermal ablation - interventional radiology
