Percutaneous image-guided ablation: From techniques to treatments.

Image-guided ablation is performed by percutaneously introducing ablation probes to deliver energy into a tumor to destroy it in a controlled and localized fashion. Ablation modalities can be broadly classified as thermal or non-thermal based on the mechanism of tumor destruction and are performed using different types of image guidance for planning, delivering and follow-up of the treatment. Ablation is performed in a minimally invasive fashion, providing greater residual organ preservation with minimal morbidity to the patient. Image-guided ablation is being used in the clinic for the treatment of primary and metastatic tumors, and this article reviews state of the art for the treatment of malignancies in the liver, lung, kidney and musculoskeletal tissue.