First Percutaneous Computed Tomography-guided Radiofrequency Ablation of Renal Tumor in Horseshoe Kidney

OBJECTIVE To report the first case of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of a tumor in a horseshoe kidney. MATERIALS AND METHODS A 75-year-old man presented with a 3-cm solid mass on the isthmus of a horseshoe kidney. The tumor was discovered incidentally on a routine computed tomography scan performed during follow-up of a colon carcinoma treated with open hemicolectomy. The patient presented a high anesthetic risk (American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 3) because of a comorbid cardiovascular condition. Biopsy of the mass revealed type I papillary carcinoma. We performed percutaneous radiofrequency ablation using a posterior approach. RESULTS No complications occurred, and postoperative computed tomography 3 months after the procedure showed no significant contrast enhancement in the treated area. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first case of a tumor in a horseshoe kidney satisfactorily treated with percutaneous radiofrequency ablation. The technique could represent an alternative to traditional surgery in selected cases. UROLOGY 78: 466-468, 2011. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc.