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Purpose: To determine the incidence and predictors of major complications in patients undergoing percutaneous cryoablation (PCA) for small renal masses., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing PCA from 2005 to 2012. We analyzed demographic, radiographic, and complication data. We defined complications as any deviation from the expected postoperative course. We determined predictors of complications., Results: A total of 190 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 69 years, and 132 (69%) were males. The mean tumor diameter was 2.2 cm (0.8-4.0 cm). The mean number of probes utilized per procedure was 2.3. We observed 16 (8.4%) complications including 14 Clavien grade I, which includes 6 (2%) large renal/retroperitoneal hematomas, 4 (2%) pneumothoraxes, 2 (1%) urinary tract infections, and 2 (1%) atrial fibrillations. There were two (1%) Clavien grade II complications (intestinal perforations). In univariable analysis, larger tumors and more probes were associated with higher risk of complications (all ps < 0.05). In multivariable analysis, larger tumor dimension (odds ratio [OR] = 2.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34, 6.05; p = 0.006) was independently associated with major complications. After multivariable adjustments for patient's characteristics such as age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists, year of surgery, and histopathology, larger tumor dimension (OR = 2.85; 95%CI = 1.34, 6.05; p = 0.006) and more cryoablation probes (OR = 1.94; 95%CI = 1.36, 2.75; p < 0.001) were independently associated with higher risk of major complications., Conclusions: In a cohort of patients undergoing PCA for T1a small renal mass, larger tumor dimension and more cryoablation probes were independently associated with higher risk of complication. Although PCA is relatively safe and the major complications are infrequent, careful patient selection is crucial.

Background: The management of locally recurrent renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) following cryoablation remains a clinical dilemma. There is limited data regarding the management of locally recurrent disease in the setting of patients who have failed initial percutaneous cryoablation (PCA). We evaluate and report our experience with salvage PCA for local recurrence following renal cryoablation failure., Patients and Methods: We reviewed our experience with patients who underwent salvage PCA for local biopsy proven RCC recurrence following primary cryoablation procedures. Complications and oncologic outcomes were evaluated. Recurrence-free survival after primary and repeat cryoablation was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier curves., Results: A total 250 patients underwent primary cryoablation for RCC and 20 (8%) patients were identified who underwent repeat PCA for 21 locally recurrent tumors. The mean tumor size was 2.4 cm. Biopsy revealed clear cell in 14 patients, three papillary and four chromophobe RCC. All repeat cryoablation procedures were completed successfully, with no treatment failures on postprocedure imaging. There were no complications or deaths. With the median follow-up of 30 months (range 7-63), 3 (15%) patients experienced local recurrence. One patient had an enhancing lesion at 13 months following repeat PCA and underwent a third PCA. Two patients had recurrence at 6 and 35 months respectively and underwent successful laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. Local recurrence-free, metastasis-free and cancer-specific survival rates were 85%, 100%, and 100% respectively. Limitations include retrospective design and small number of patients., Conclusions: Repeat PCA after primary cryoablation failure is feasible, has a low complication rate, and acceptable short-term oncologic outcomes. Further studies with durable follow-up are required.

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of local anesthesia with conscious sedation (LACS) with general anesthesia (GA) in patients undergoing percutaneous renal cryoablation (PRC) for renal cortical neoplasms., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients undergoing PRC between 2003 and 2013. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and perioperative and postoperative follow-up data were recorded and analyzed. We compared 3 principal outcomes across the GA and LACS groups: anesthesia-related outcomes, treatment failure, and complications., Results: A total of 235 patients with available data were included. Of these, 82 underwent PRC under GA and 153 patients under LACS. The 2 groups were similar with regard to age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, tumor features, preoperative serum creatinine level, and hematocrit value. The GA and LACS groups had a similar percentage of patients with biopsy-proven renal cell carcinoma (68.5% and 64.2%, respectively; P = .62). The mean follow-up time for GA and LACS was 37 and 21 months, respectively (P <.0001). The mean procedure time for GA was significantly longer compared with LACS (133 vs 102 minutes; P <.001), and the mean hospital stay was shorter under LACS (1.08 vs 1.95 days; P <.0001). There was no difference in immediate failure (0% and 1.9%; P = .051) or recurrences (11% and 3.9%, respectively; P = .051) between GA and LACS groups. There was no difference in intraoperative and postoperative treatment-related complications between the 2 groups., Conclusion: PRC for small renal masses under LACS is effective and safe. PRC with LACS has the advantage of decreased procedure time and a shorter hospital stay., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the value of the R.E.N.A.L nephrometry scoring system in predicting treatment success for image-guided percutaneous cryoablation (PCA)., Patients and Methods: The study included 139 patients with renal masses treated with PCA. Preoperative computed tomography or magnetic resonance images were reviewed by a urology resident. The primary endpoint variable was incomplete treatment or tumour recurrence. R.E.N.A.L. scores were categorized into low (4-6), moderate (7-9), and high (10-12). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to predict tumour recurrence. Additional variables collected included age at surgery, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, lesion size, skin-to-tumour distance, skin-to-hilum distance, and number of treatment cryoprobes., Results: At a median follow-up of 24 months, there were 10 tumour recurrences (six moderate and four high R.E.N.A.L. score categories). Nephrometry score and number of probes used were not associated with recurrence (odds ratio [OR] 1.02, P = 0.9 and P = 0.53, respectively). The tumour distances for patients with recurrence and no recurrence were 10.8 cm and 8.5 cm, respectively (P ≤ 0.05), the skin-to-tumour distance was associated with treatment failure (OR 1.24, P = 0.015); for each unit increase in the mean value, patients were 1.5 times more likely to have a tumour recurrence (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.72). The model that best predicted complications included the number of probes used (P = 0.002) and R.E.N.A.L. score (OR 1.35, P = 0.027). For each additional probe used, patients were twice as likely to have complications (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.28-3.05). With each unit increase in R.E.N.A.L. score, patients were 1.5 times more likely to experience a complication (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.05-2.11)., Conclusions: An increased skin-to-tumour distance is associated with a higher risk of treatment failure after PCA. Furthermore, an increase in both R.E.N.A.L nephrometry score and number of probes used was associated with an increased risk of complications after PCA. The R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score as a measure of tumour complexity was not associated with tumour recurrence., (© 2012 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2012 BJU INTERNATIONAL.)