ABLATE: A Renal Ablation Planning Algorithm

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to present the ABLATE renal ablation planning algorithm (Table 1), which is based on anatomic renal tumor characteristics critical to ablation. TABLE 1: ABLATE Renal Ablation Planning Algorithm A (Axial tumor diameter) B (Bowel proximity) L (Location within kidney) A (Adjacency to the ureter) T (Touching renal sinus fat) E (Endo/exophytic) CONCLUSION. ABLATE provides a systematic method for reviewing cross-sectional imaging of renal masses for ablation planning purposes. The goal of this system is to help proceduralists anticipate and manage potential technical challenges of renal ablations to maximize oncologic outcomes and minimize complications.