Image-guided percutaneous ablation of pulmonary tumours

Image-guided percutaneous local therapy using radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) has been used in liver tumours and non-hepatic lesions (e.g. osteoid osteoma) for several years [1–4]. It has been shown to be effective and safe and can usually be performed under local anaesthesia. Recently, percutaneous tumour ablation has also been introduced for local therapy of pulmonary tumours [5–7]. In January 2004, Professor Norbert Hosten, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Greifswald University, hosted the first German multidisciplinary meeting on percutaneous ablation of pulmonary metastases. At the conference a panel of experts covered all aspects of therapy of lung metastases (surgery, oncology, pneumology, RFA, LITT, and brachytherapy) as well as technical aspects of local tumour ablation. As a result several statements can be made to summarise the state-of-the-art in 2004.