Magnetic Resonance Guided Cryoablation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71bZNRWMcNE

By Viviana Cetola

Life News Today

Recently, Liverpool Hospital in south-east Sydney has introduced Australia's first dedicated MRI-guided cryoablation system. A new MRI machine guides a probe that releases cold gas and destroys tumors, freezing them without any surgical incisions.

The procedure, pioneered by interventional radiologist Dr. Glen Schlaphoff, is also known as cryosurgery or cryotherapy and is minimally invasive. It uses specialized 17-gauge needles inserted directly into a tumor, which is reached by monitoring the procedure with continuous, high-resolution MRI. Once positioned on the tumor, it drops the tip of the probe containing compressed ARGON gas at a temperature of minus 180° Celsius, in seconds, breaking cell membranes and cutting off the local blood supply to kill the target tissue while not interfering with or affecting adjacent healthy bones or organs.

Since the real-time MRI scanner allows specialists to visually monitor the boundaries of the freezing zone with microscopic precision, the procedure serves as a safe alternative for tumors embedded in highly sensitive structures such as the spine, liver, and kidneys.

Main uses and applications

Cardiology (Arrhythmias): It is frequently used in the isolation of pulmonary veins using a balloon catheter to treat Atrial Fibrillation. Extreme cold freezes and blocks the abnormal electrical signals that cause heart rhythm disturbances. An ablation, especially cardiac ablation, is a very safe and effective procedure to correct arrhythmias. Although serious risks occur in less than 5% of cases, they can include bleeding or infection at the insertion site, blood clots, blood vessel damage, heart perforation, or new arrhythmias. Possible complications vary depending on the technique, the type of arrhythmia and your medical history:

In the insertion area: These are the most common and include bruising, bleeding, mild pain, or clotting at the site where the catheters were inserted (usually the groin).

Heart problems: There is a lower risk (about 1%) of perforation of the heart wall, which can cause bleeding in the pericardial cavity (cardiac tamponade).

Abnormal heart rhythm: In certain cases, the procedure may cause new irregular heartbeats or aggravate existing ones, which may require the use of a temporary or permanent pacemaker.

Clots and embolisms: By moving catheters inside the heart, clots can form that, if they travel to the brain, carry a very low risk of stroke.

Depending on the area treated, such as in pulmonary vein ablation due to atrial fibrillation, there is a small risk of narrowing of the pulmonary veins or paralysis of the phrenic nerve affecting the diaphragm and breathing, which is usually temporary.

Oncology (Cancer): It is used to destroy tumors in organs such as the liver, kidneys, prostate and breasts. It is a widely used alternative when the patient is not a candidate for traditional surgery, or to relieve pain caused by advanced cancers. Like any medical procedure, cryoablation to treat cancer carries risks. These include bleeding, blood clots, and infection. It is also possible to have an adverse reaction to medicines called anesthetics, which help prevent pain during the procedure. The procedure inserts a needle with ultrasound guidance at -120º/-140º degrees, causing cell destruction thanks to the effects of the cold. The procedure can be repeated in cases of relapse or incomplete ablation, and systemic treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy do not need to be stopped.

Dermatology and Gynecology: It is applied in skin treatments, such as warts or certain carcinomas and in precancerous lesions of the cervix.  As it is minimally invasive, it offers important benefits compared to traditional surgeries such as less pain and bleeding during the intervention, faster recovery and short hospitalization times, less risk of damaging the surrounding healthy tissue.

This technological achievement represents a major evolutionary shift, far away from invasive open operations, towards rapid recovery outpatient therapies. For patients suffering from severe neural or skeletal agony, such as a nine-millimeter focused spinal injury, standard orthopedic procedures often require extensive bone cutting, installation of structural equipment, and months of painful post-operative rehabilitation. In stark contrast, MRI-guided cryoablation can be fully completed under general anesthesia in a single day, allowing people to be released within hours and experience full systemic pain relief by the next morning.

Source: Schaphoff G, Xiang H, and Logaraj A. (2025) Implementation of the first MRI-guided cryoablation program for musculoskeletal and organ tumors.tal and organ tumors.