Abstract
PURPOSE: The study aims to retrospectively examine performance of general anesthesia in percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and to assess the long-term outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September 2012 and August 2019, 87 patients (68 males and 19 females; mean age, 61 years) with biopsy-proven T1a RCC underwent computed tomography-guided RFA under general anesthesia. Anesthetic time, minimal alveolar concentration (MAC), and post-anesthetic complications were recorded. Primary effectiveness and local tumor progression (LTP)-free and metastasis-free survival rates were calculated. Major complications following RFA were assessed. A Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to determine the long-term survival rate. RESULTS: General anesthesia and RFA were performed with 100% technical success. The mean time of general anesthesia was 127 minutes (range, 63-248 minutes). The mean MAC was 0.88±0.15. There was no complication related to general anesthesia. Primary effectiveness was 100%, and the 5-year LTP-free or metastasis-free rate was 97.7% (85/87). One major RFA complication occurred in a patient with ureter stricture that was detected during a follow-up examination. CONCLUSIONS: Low-MAC general anesthesia during RFA procedures is appropriate for precise RCC targeting. This type of pain control could influence the long-term outcomes of RCC patients.