Table 2.
Safety comparison of microwave ablation, radiofrequency ablation, and chemoablation for pancreatic lesions. PC—Pancreatic cancer, pNET—Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, PCL—Pancreatic cystic neoplasms, MWA—Microwave ablation, RFA—Radiofrequency ablation. N/A—not available. 1 Includes ethanol ablation of pNETs. 2 Includes studies with ethanol lavage followed by paclitaxel ablation of PCLs.
| Microwave Ablation Studies | Cumulative Complication Rate (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | Complications | MWA | RFA | Chemoablation | |
| PC | 54 | Abdominal pain (n = 2) Mild pancreatitis (n = 5) Asymptomatic hyperamylasemia (n = 1) Pancreatic ascites/fluid collection (n = 2) Minor bleeding (n = 1) Pseudoaneurysm of gastroduodenal artery (n = 1) |
22% | 27% [7] | 35% [72] |
| pNET | 11 | Pseudocyst (n = 2) Pancreatic fistula (n = 1) Mild acute pancreatitis (n = 1) |
36% | 11% [7] | 17% 1 [67] |
| PCL | 0 | N/A | N/A | 20% [73] | 14% 2 [74] |