More on RFA - Radio-Frequency Ablation

You will need to get in touch with an interventional radiologists. These are the people that do Radio-frequency Ablation and other ablation procedures. This procedure is often offered to patients through a Cancer clinic, Sports or Orthopedic clinics. If you have any of these in your area I recommend you call them and see if they do the RFA.

The procedure allows the viewing the inside of the body and is done by using x-ray machines, magnetic resonance, computer tomography, or ultrasound without doing surgery. A thin catheter is put through the blood vessels or skin, then guided to the place where the pain or problem is prevalent. Tiny probes and miniature instruments are inserted while the doctor watches on a video-type monitor displaying the image of the treatment area. This is done leaving no incisions, no scars or stitches as all there is a small nick in the skin.

By the way this technique has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and should be covered by Medicare and most health insurances company, but I would recommend you check with your insurance company before going in to make sure it is indeed covered.

Some of the places that do this are the Mayo Clinic, University of Southern California Surgery department, M.D. Anderson, National Clinic of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, The University of Wisconsin, The Cleveland Clinic, and I know they are also doing it in Tarrant County, Texas at John Peter Smith County Hospital where mine will be done. I'm sure there are other places that are doing it also If you have any questions about this procedure ask your physician if they can recommend someone that does this. If they do not know, then you might try calling the local radiology clinic listed in your phone book and ask them where you can find an interventional radiologist.

I hope this information will help those who need help with this problem and the pain they are suffering. Keep in mind though that not everyone can be helped by the procedure, but it will help a lot of people.