Comparison of procedure costs of various percutaneous tumor ablation modalities.

Microwave ablation, radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and irreversible electroporation are percutaneous ablation modalities commonly employed to treat tumors. The procedure cost of treating the same lesion with each of the four modalities is compared. A cost model was created for each ablation modality estimating the cost of treating a tumor based on the number of probes required, which is estimated by the tumor size.Total cost of treating a 3 cm kidney lesion with each modality was individually calculated. There was a strongly positive and statistically significant relationship between estimated cost based on the cost modules and actual cost for all procedures. The number of required probes is the dominant factor in determining the cost of an ablation procedure. The most expensive ablation modalities in decreasing order are irreversible electroporation, cryoablation, and microwave and radiofrequency ablations.