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World J Nephrol. May 6, 2016; 5(3): 283-287
Published online May 6, 2016. doi: 10.5527/wjn.v5.i3.283
Kidney function outcomes following thermal ablation of small renal masses
Jay D Raman, Syed M Jafri, David Qi
Jay D Raman, Syed M Jafri, David Qi, Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States
Author contributions: Raman JD, Jafri SM and Qi D wrote the manuscript; Jafri SM and Qi D performed the literature review.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflicts of interest associated with this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Jay D Raman, MD, Chief, Associate Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, United States. jraman@hmc.psu.edu
Telephone: +1-717-5316979 Fax: +1-717-5314475
Received: December 27, 2015
Peer-review started: December 28, 2015
First decision: January 15, 2016
Revised: February 13, 2016
Accepted: March 22, 2016
Article in press: March 23, 2016
Published online: May 6, 2016
Processing time: 120 Days and 8.1 Hours
Abstract

The diagnosis of small renal masses (SRMs) continues to increase likely attributable to widespread use of axial cross-sectional imaging. Many of these SRMs present in elderly patients with abnormal baseline renal function. Such patients are at risk for further decline following therapeutic intervention. Renal thermal ablation presents one approach for management of SRMs whereby tumors are treated in situ without need for global renal ischemia. These treatment characteristics contribute to favorable renal function outcomes following kidney tumor ablation particularly in patients with an anatomic or functional solitary renal unit.

Keywords: Radiofrequency ablation; Cryoablation; Modification of diet in renal disease equation; Kidney function; Dialysis

Core tip: Because of increased abdominal imaging, an increasing number of incidental small kidney masses are being detected. Renal thermal ablation is one treatment strategy used for the management of these tumors. Oncologic outcomes in published series appear favorable. Thermal ablation allows treatment of kidney masses in situ without the need for complete ipsilateral renal ischemia. As a consequence, ablation may be an attractive alternative for patients with baseline kidney dysfunction owing to medical comorbidities who would be at risk for declining kidney function following surgery.