The Safety of Radiofrequency Ablation Using a Novel Temperature-Controlled Probe for the Treatment of Residual Intraductal Lesions after Endoscopic Papillectomy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Treatment of residual intraductal lesions after endoscopic papillectomy for ampullary adenomas is relatively difficult. Few studies have been conducted using intraductal radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of such lesions, and no study has aimed to reduce the side effects of excessive heat caused by RFA. Recently, a temperature-controlled RFA probe was developed to avoid excessive heat. This study aimed to investigate the safety of this new RFA probe in the treatment of intraductal lesions of ampullary adenoma. METHODS: Patients who received RFA for residual intraductal lesions after endoscopic papillectomy between November 2017 and June 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. A novel temperature-controlled probe (ELRA) was used for intraductal RFA, and clinical data including adverse events were collected. RESULTS: Ten patients were included in this study. Intraductal adenomas showed low-grade dysplasia in eight patients and high-grade dysplasia in two patients. The median diameter of intraductal adenomas was 9 mm (range, 5 to 10 mm) in the common bile duct and 5 mm (range, 4 to 11 mm) in the pancreatic duct. Adverse events occurred in three patients (30.0%), of which two were mild pancreatitis and one was asymptomatic biliary stricture. Over a median follow-up period of 253 days, only one patient underwent additional surgery, as the remainder showed no adenomatous lesions on follow-up biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: The new temperature-controlled RFA probe can be used with acceptable safety for the treatment of residual intraductal lesions after endoscopic papillectomy. Further evaluation through future prospective studies is needed.