Liquid Nitrogen-Based cryoablation: Complication rates for lung, bone, and soft tissue tumors cryoablation

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the complication rate during and 24 hours after cryoablation in lung, bone, and soft tissue tumors.

METHODS: We reviewed complications in a total of 85 consecutive patients who underwent cryoablation using a liquid nitrogen-based system in various lesions between April 2017 and October 2022. There were none liver and renal lesions. Complications were categorized using the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) classification.

RESULTS: 85 patients were treated for 96 lesions in the bone (36.4%; 35 of 96), lung (18.8%; 18 of 96), and soft tissue (44.8%; 43 of 96). The primary technical success rate was 97.7% (83 of 85). The total grade 2 and 1 complication rates were 5.2% (5/96) and 20.8% (20/96), respectively. Two patients had asymptomatic pulmonary embolisms incidentally noted at the 24-hour follow-up computed tomography (grade 2). The most frequent complications were simple and hemorrhagic pleural effusions (18.7%; 18 of 96). Lung procedures had the highest complication rate where 13 patients (72.2%; 13 of 18) reporting complications, including two cases of symptomatic hydropneumothorax requiring drainage (grade 2) and an additional two days of hospital stay. Eight patients (24.2%; 8 of 33) with bone lesions and four (9.3%; 4 of 43) with soft tissue lesions experienced complications.

CONCLUSION: Cryoablation using a liquid nitrogen-based system is safe, with only minor complications observed.