BACKGROUND Low back pain may arise from disorders of the sacroiliac joint in up to 30% of patients. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the nerves innervating the sacroiliac joint has been shown to be a safe and efficacious strategy. OBJECTIVES We aimed to develop a new RFA technique to relieve low back pain secondary to sacroiliac joint disorders. STUDY DESIGN Methodology development with val...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia. Medical treatment often fails to control symptoms. PURPOSE To compare the benefits and harms of radiofrequency catheter ablation and medical therapy in adults with atrial fibrillation. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2000 to December 2008) were searched for English-language r...

BACKGROUND Radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation has been associated with some risk of thromboembolic events. Previous studies showed that preventive short episodes of forearm ischemia (remote ischemic preconditioning [IPC]) reduce exercise-induced platelet reactivity. In this study, we assessed whether remote IPC has any effect on platelet activation induced by radiofrequency ablation...

BACKGROUND Radiofrequency catheter ablation in immature hearts has been associated with marked enlargement of lesions over time, with potential for related late adverse events. It remains unknown whether cryothermal ablation lesions display a similar pattern of growth. METHODS AND RESULTS Ablation lesions (n=384) were performed in 32 infant miniature swine in right and left atria, ventricles,...

BACKGROUND Cerebral diffusion-weighted MRI lesions have been observed after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. We hypothesized that conditions predisposing to microembolization could be identified using a porcine model of pulmonary vein ablation and an extracorporeal circulation loop. METHODS AND RESULTS Ablations of the pulmonary veins were performed in 18 swine with echo monitoring. ...

Because of its high success rate and low morbidity, radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation has become first line treatment for many arrhythmias. In this procedure, one or more electrode catheters are advanced percutaneously through the vasculature to contact cardiac tissues. A diagnostic study is performed to define the arrhythmia mechanism, and subsequently an ablation catheter is positioned ad...

BACKGROUND Thermal ablation of unresectable hepatic tumors can be achieved by cryosurgical ablation (CSA) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The relative advantages and disadvantages of each technique have not yet been determined. HYPOTHESIS Radiofrequency ablation of malignant hepatic neoplasms can be performed safely, but is currently limited by size. Cryosurgical ablation, while associated ...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown that the size of lesions produced by radiofrequency catheter ablation correlates with the temperature and surface area of the electrode-tissue interface. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of ablation using very large distal electrodes (8F, 8 and 12 mm long) with those made by a conventional radiofrequency ablation catheter (distal...

We report the case of a 59-year-old woman who presented with metastatic ameloblastoma involving the lungs, 20 years after resection of the primary tumor in the mandible. The lesions were debulked on multiple occasions with radiofrequency ablation over an eight-year period with local response. There were no complications related to the procedures. We suggest that radiofrequency ablation is a pos...