European Thermal Ablation Devices Market

Thermal ablation uses heat (in the form of radio frequency [RF] or laser energy) instead of electric current (used in traditional electrosurgery) to destroy and remove diseased tissue; in contrast to conventional electrosurgery, thermal ablation generally avoids causing damage to collateral tissue. Other ablation methods using microwaves, ultrasound, and even freezing temperatures (cryoablation) also havedemonstrated effective tissue destruction without affecting collateral structures. This report discusses some of the most common medical applications for thermal ablation in the European Union countries of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), cancer, excessive uterine bleeding (menorrhagia), uterine fibroids, and chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)/varicose veins; catheter and surgical ablation of certain cardiac arrhythmias are not included. A promising emerging area, renal denervation for the treatment of drug-resistant hypertension, is discussed in the May 2012 Medtech Insight newsletter article, “Renal Denervation Sparks Device Market Gold Rush.”