Removal or destruction of diseased tissue by excision (cutting away), cryosurgery (freezing), radiotherapy, diathermy (burning), or laser treatment.
Ablation means the removal of any part of the body by a surgical operation.
n. 1. a technique in which tumours or other abnormal areas are destroyed using thermal energy, whether by heating or freezing (see cryoablation). It is commonly used with liver tumours, kidney tumours, lung tumours, and abnormalities of the heart conduction system. Large thyroid goitres are also now ablated to reduce their size, with very good cosmetic results. In *radiofrequency ablation (RFA) radiofrequency waves are passed through a needle placed in the target area, which agitates the atoms and produces heat at the active tip. 2. more generally, the removal or destruction of tissue or an abnormal growth by surgery, hormones, drugs, etc. For example, hormonal therapy is an alternative to surgery for the treatment of breast cancer when the patient is not fit for resectional surgery. In dentistry hard tissue can be removed by erbium laser ablation, with or without water spray. See also endometrial ablation; radioiodine ablation.
(MWA) an *ablation technique in which microwaves are used to burn tumour tissues. This has some advantages over *radiofrequency ablation because the heat generated is field heating, as in conventional microwave machines. This makes it possible to get a bigger ablation zone and means that the ablation is not affected by the heat-sink effect of adjacent blood vessels.... microwave ablation
the use of radioactive iodine (iodine-131) to destroy any residual thyroid tissue after thyroidectomy for cancer. Subsequent radioiodine treatment may be necessary to treat suspected or known residual thyroid cancer cells. Following ablation, thyroglobulin levels can be used as a *tumour marker.... radioiodine ablation
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