liver tumor ablation, liver tumors, liver cancer

Heat kills cells. Rather than applying heat directly, which would have unbearable side effects, medical technicians tried to use the effect of high frequency electric current on tissue - it causes friction and warms up the tissue without causing muscle contraction.

Leyden

The first high frequency generators were developed in the late1800's in Leiden/Netherlands and were mostly used for the impressive lighting they create.

Hi-frequency

Other early devices generated high frequency electricity used to thermally ablate small skin lesions.

Old-Bovies

Radiofrequency induced heat is used in surgery foremost to coagulate small vessels during an operation. The first commercially available electro-cautery device was developed by Cushing and Bovie in 1928. This is the direct forerunner of the modern electro-surgery devices used today in almost every operating room.

Generator

Although the nice furniture is gone, todays generators use the same physical priniciples. The device shown here generates high frequency energy (radio frequency energy) for our purpose of liver tumor ablation.

Rita-catheter

The idea to use radio frequency induced heat to treat tumors was realized relatively late. The first to use the technique were researchers in Italy who placed the thermoablation catheter through the skin into the liver tumors under ultrasound guidance. They treated patients with primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoma) who had tumor(s) located centrally within the liver. These tumors were successfully ablated as demonstrated by follow-up radiological studies including angiography and CT scanning. There was no bleeding or other significant complications.

After extensive research we performed the first radiofrequency tumor ablation in January 1996 with a laparoscopic approach. Since then operations and referrals increased expontentially, other clinics adopted the technique.
Radiofrequency ablation is in our view a promising additional tool in the battle against cancer.

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	The first high frequency generators were developed in the late1800's in Leiden/Netherlands and were mostly used for the impressive lighting they create.
	Other early devices generated high frequency electricity used to thermally ablate small skin lesions.
	Radiofrequency induced heat is used in surgery foremost to coagulate small vessels during an operation. The first commercially available electro-cautery device was developed by Cushing and Bovie in 1928. This is the direct forerunner of the modern electro-surgery devices used today in almost every operating room.
	Although the nice furniture is gone, todays generators use the same physical priniciples. The device shown here generates high frequency energy (radio frequency energy) for our purpose of liver tumor ablation.
	The idea to use radio frequency induced heat to treat tumors was realized relatively late. The first to use the technique were researchers in Italy who placed the thermoablation catheter through the skin into the liver tumors under ultrasound guidance. They treated patients with primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoma) who had tumor(s) located centrally within the liver. These tumors were successfully ablated as demonstrated by follow-up radiological studies including angiography and CT scanning. There was no bleeding or other significant complications.