Premiere in Oberwart

You have to be ice-cold with kidney tumors …

Under the direction of primary surgeon Herbert Ringhofer (4th from left), the medical team in Oberwart performed the successful operation.(Bild: zVg)

... if you want to fight it successfully. At Oberwart Clinic, icing was performed for the first time before an operation, and the patient is doing well. 

The Department of Radiology at Oberwart Clinic is expanding its range of services and now offers cryoablations in addition to radiofrequency and microwave ablations.

The first cryoablation has now been successfully performed on a patient with a kidney tumor. Cryoablation of a kidney tumor is a treatment method. The tumor is destroyed by extreme cold - minus 47 degrees Celsius - without the need for open surgery. This technique offers a gentle alternative, which also causes less pain, especially for patients who cannot tolerate major surgery due to their state of health.

Helium and argon injected
In Oberwart, this procedure is carried out under the direction of Head Physician Herbert Ringhofer, Head of Department at the Burgenland Central-South Radiology Network. First, the expert inserts a thin needle into the tumor under imaging control. Liquid helium and argon are introduced via the needle, which destroys the tumor tissue. The procedure is performed under anesthesia.

Results are immediately clear
"The advantages of cryoablation are the low stress for the patient, the shorter recovery times and the preservation of the surrounding kidney tissue. You can see immediately whether the tumor tissue has been removed," says Ringhofer. "At the Oberwart Clinic, this innovative treatment method helps to offer patients an advanced and gentle treatment option."

Patients can be discharged after just one to two days - if their general state of health allows it. Almost a miracle, isn't it?