Tumor Ablation

Treatment for:

Tumors in the liver, kidney, bone, soft tissue and other locations

Why it’s done:

Percutaneous ablation allows minimally invasive destruction of tumors without the need for open surgery.

How it’s done:

An interventional radiologist uses ultrasound, CT, or both to guide specialized needles into the tumor. The needles use heat (microwave or radiofrequency ablation), cold (cryoablation), or rapid-pulsed electricity (irreversible electroporation) to kill the tumor without requiring open surgery.

Level of anesthesia:

Conscious sedation or general anesthesia

Risks:

Bleeding, infection, damage to surrounding structures, organ damage, rare tumor seeding

Post-procedure:

After ablation, patients proceed to the post-anesthesia care unit for recovery. A post-procedure imaging scan may be performed to determine the effect of the ablation. Most patients are discharged home the same day. Antibiotics and/or pain medications may be prescribed to prevent pain or infection after the procedure.

Follow-up:

A follow-up CT or MRI is usually performed 1 month after treatment along with clinic visit in interventional radiology to determine the results and allow for further treatment planning.

For More Information:

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit contact us page.

Related Links:

• UCLA Tumor Ablation

Charitable Giving to the UCLA Tumor Ablation Program

Thank you for your interest in supporting the Tumor Ablation Program at UCLA Radiology. Your gift ensures we can continue to conduct important research and provide innovative and compassionate patient care. 

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Checks can be made payable to The UCLA Foundation, with “Tumor Ablation Program” in the memo line. Checks can then be mailed to: 

For more information on how to support our programs, please contact: 
Caroline B. Cummings 
Associate Director of Development, UCLA Health Sciences 
[email protected]