Protection of the Proximal Articular Cartilage During Percutaneous Thermal Ablation of Acetabular Metastasis Using Temperature Monitoring

Objective To review our initial experience in acetabular cartilage protection from thermal injury with temperature monitoring during percutaneous image-guided tumor thermal ablation. Materials and Methods Between June 2015 and December 2016, three consecutive oncologic patients (mean age 58 years; range 48–67 years) with acetabular bone metastasis underwent percutaneous image-guided thermal ablation procedures along with hip joint cartilage thermal monitoring. Due to the close proximity of the metastatic lesion to the acetabular articular cartilage, a thermosensor device was placed under CT and fluoroscopic guidance near the acetabular roof and next to the ablation zone in order to monitor the local temperature around the articular cartilage. Stand-alone thermal ablation ( n = 1) and combined thermal ablation with cementoplasty ( n = 2) were performed to optimize local palliation or disease control. Clinical and radiological outcomes at follow-up were assessed. Results Three acetabular metastatic lesions were treated with thermal ablation, and temperature monitoring of the acetabular articular cartilage was conducted during the ablation procedure. Mean size of lesions was 1.6 cm (range 1.5–2 cm). Technical success was achieved in all cases (100%) without any immediate complications. No hip cartilage damage occurred clinically and radiologically. Good palliation and local disease control were achieved in two cases, and in the other case, there was local recurrence and distant progression of hip metastatic disease after 7 months of follow-up. Conclusion Temperature monitoring of the articular cartilage during percutaneous image-guided thermal ablation appears technically feasible with good short-term efficacy in a complex patient subset. Further studies are warranted to confirm these promising initial results.