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. 2024 Nov 16;14(22):3301.
doi: 10.3390/ani14223301.

Percutaneous Ultrasound-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation as a Therapeutic Approach for the Management of Insulinomas and Associated Metastases in Dogs

María Dolores Alférez  1 , Andrea Corda  2 , Ignacio de Blas  3 , Lucas Gago  4 , Telmo Fernandes  5 , Ignacio Rodríguez-Piza  6 , Beatriz Balañá  7 , Francesca Corda  2 , Pablo Gómez Ochoa  1   3
Affiliations

Percutaneous Ultrasound-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation as a Therapeutic Approach for the Management of Insulinomas and Associated Metastases in Dogs

María Dolores Alférez et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Insulinomas are the most common neoplasms of the endocrine pancreas in dogs, leading to persistent hypoglycemia due to inappropriate insulin secretion. The standard treatment is surgical resection, but it carries significant risks, including pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus. This study investigates the efficacy and safety of percutaneous ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as an alternative to surgery. A total of 29 dogs diagnosed with insulinoma were treated with RFA, targeting both primary pancreatic tumors and metastases in regional lymph nodes or the liver. Blood glucose levels and tumor size were monitored before and after the procedure. RFA led to a significant increase in blood glucose levels and a reduction in tumor size in all patients, with minimal postoperative complications. The results suggest that RFA is a feasible and effective treatment option for insulinomas in dogs.

Keywords: canine; hypoglycemia; insulinoma; metastases; minimally invasive; pancreatic tumor; radiofrequency ablation; ultrasound-guided procedure; veterinary oncology.

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Conflict of interest statement

María Dolores Alférez and Pablo Gómez-Ochoa are employees of VetCorner Unavets, and Telmo Fernandes is an employee of Imaginologia Veterinaria do Porto, which provided radiofrequency ablation services. The other authors have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
LeVeen Needle Electrode: (a) the 2.0 Superslim LeVeen Needle Electrode; (b) the ten atraumatic umbrella-like tines of the electrode.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) LeVeen electrode positioned on the right lobe. (b) Sonographic appearance of the electrode deployed within the pancreatic lesion, overlain in light red.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sonographic appearance before RFA in pancreatic (a) and lymph node microV (c) lesions, and after 1 month post RFA, pancreatic (b) and lymph node (d) lesions. Overlain in light red and surrounded by arrows.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The nucleated cells are arranged in clusters with indistinct cell borders, a pattern typical of neuroendocrine neoplasms. They display mild variations in cell and nuclear size and shape (anisocytosis and anisokaryosis). The nuclei of these cells have a coarsely stippled chromatin pattern without prominent nucleoli. Cytology sample was obtained using a 27G needle and stained with Diff-Quik (magnification 1000×).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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