Postprocedural pain after microwave ablation versus cryoablation for pulmonary tumors: A retrospective comparative study

This retrospective single-center study compared recorded postprocedural visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores after microwave ablation (MWA) and cryoablation for pulmonary tumors under routine postoperative care. Patients who underwent CT-guided pulmonary tumor ablation between January 2019 and October 2025 were included. Pain scores were recorded by thoracic surgery ward nurses using a VAS at 8, 16, 24, and 48 h after the procedure, and generalized estimating equations were used to account for repeated observations. A total of 68 ablation sessions, including 41 MWA and 27 cryoablation sessions, were included for pain analysis. Mean VAS scores were lower after cryoablation than after MWA at 8 h (0.5 ± 1.3 vs. 1.5 ± 1.6), 16 h (0.9 ± 1.8 vs. 2.0 ± 1.8), 24 h (0.3 ± 0.6 vs. 1.7 ± 1.8), and 48 h (0.3 ± 0.6 vs. 1.1 ± 1.3). Cryoablation was associated with lower recorded VAS scores than MWA from 8 to 48 h after pulmonary tumor ablation under routine postoperative care. These findings suggest that cryoablation may be associated with lower recorded postoperative pain scores, although MWA remains a feasible treatment option for pulmonary tumors.