ABSTRACT
The use of nephron-sparing surgery for renal cancer dates back to 1887 when Czerny performed the first partial nephrectomy. In 1969 Robson challenged the role of partial nephrectomies, making radical nephrectomy the gold standard.1 It was not until the early 1980s when the increased detection of incidental low-stage tumors through the widespread use of renal imaging led to the re-popularization of nephronsparing surgery.2,3 As the long-term outcomes from partial nephrectomy confirmed the efficacy of nephron-sparing surgery, less-invasive ablative techniques were developed in efforts to achieve the benefits of minimally invasive procedures. Currently, the two most published ablation techniques are cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation (RFA).4
