A new ablation system uses water-cooled radiofrequency (RF) probes to reduce patient pain when ablating metastatic spinal tumors.

The OsteoCool RF Ablation System is intended for palliative treatment in spinal procedures by ablation of metastatic malignant lesions present in a vertebral body. The ablation system works together with the Baylis Pain Management Generator-TD (PMG-TD) to deliver the RF energy to the target ablation site. To cool the probes during the procedure, a tube kit connected to a pump unit is used to circulate water internally. A battery operated thermocouple monitor connects to a port on the PMG-TD to display the temperature detected.

The system offers simultaneous, dual-probe capabilities, with the 17-gauge, bipolar probes available in three lengths which may be used through a variety of cannula sizes. Since two ablation probes can be used simultaneously, the system supports a variety of scenarios that accommodate unique patient and procedural needs. The OsteoCool RF Ablation System was developed by Baylis Medical (Montreal, QC, Canada), which sold the technology and intellectual property to Medtronic (Dublin, Ireland) after receiving marketing approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The OsteoCool System expands our pain therapies portfolio. Our customers treat patients with balloon kyphoplasty who also have painful spinal metastases; the OsteoCool system gives physicians a way to treat that pain in a single procedure with a familiar, minimally invasive technique,” said Julie Foster, general manager and vice president of pain therapies in the Medtronic neuromodulation division.

“The most common complaint associated with spine metastases is pain; it's often progressive and significantly reduces the patient's quality of life,” said interventional radiologist Sandeep Bagla, MD, of the Vascular Institute of Virginia (Woodbridge, VA, USA). “With the OsteoCool system, I can now ablate the patient's painful tumor with a reproducible procedure that's appropriate for their unique anatomy.”

In November 2105, Medtronic received expanded indications for Kyphon Xpede bone cement, which now includes clearance for the treatment osteolytic lesions. Where indicated, the OsteoCool bone access kit can be used for a subsequent, physician-directed procedure such as cementoplasty.

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