Compared with radiofrequency ablation, the principal technical advantage of microwave ablation for liver tumours is:

• A It requires grounding pads and monopolar current through the patient
• B It can only be performed percutaneously under ultrasound
• C Higher intratumoural temperatures with less heat-sink effect near large vessels ✓
• D It produces smaller ablation zones than radiofrequency

Explanation

Microwave ablation uses electromagnetic energy to agitate water molecules, achieving higher temperatures faster than radiofrequency and heating a broader field. Because it does not depend on electrical conduction through tissue, charred or dehydrated tissue does not halt energy deposition, and the heat-sink effect from adjacent vessels larger than 3 mm is markedly reduced. Radiofrequency, being electrically based, loses efficacy in desiccated tissue and suffers more from vascular cooling.

Reference: Grainger and Allison's Diagnostic Radiology, 7th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.