Microwave Ablation
A scarless alternative to surgery for some breast lumps and thyroid nodules. We use ultrasound to guide a single thin needle that heats and shrinks the lesion from the inside. No cut, no stitches, home the same day.
A scarless alternative to surgery for some breast lumps and thyroid nodules. We use ultrasound to guide a single thin needle that heats and shrinks the lesion from the inside. No cut, no stitches, home the same day.
What is microwave ablation?
Microwave ablation treats some lumps and nodules without surgery. We thread a thin needle through the skin into the lesion, then use the needle to deliver heat that destroys the abnormal tissue from the inside. There's no incision and no stitches; the only mark is the small puncture where the needle went in.
Two groups of patients usually fit the procedure: people with benign breast lumps (most often fibroadenomas) who don't want a surgical scar, and people with benign thyroid nodules that are causing pressure in the neck, getting in the way of swallowing, or showing as a visible bulge.
It's done under local anaesthetic with mild sedation, and we watch the needle on ultrasound the whole time. That lets us treat exactly the lump and nothing else around it.
Who this is for
- You have a benign breast lump (already biopsied) that's bothering you — uncomfortable, visible, or just constantly on your mind.
- You have a benign thyroid nodule pressing on the windpipe, making swallowing harder, or showing as a lump in the neck.
- You'd rather not have an open surgery if you can avoid it.
- You've had several small lesions over time and don't want to keep going through surgery for each one.
How it's done
Before the procedure
We look at your latest scan and biopsy report to make sure ablation is the right call. You'll be asked to skip food for a few hours beforehand, and to pause blood thinners if you're on any. Plan for a half-day at the clinic in total.
During the procedure
The skin and tissue around the lump are numbed with local anaesthetic. With the lump on screen the whole time, we slide a slim microwave probe into the centre of it. The heat is then delivered over a few minutes. The whole thing usually takes 20 to 45 minutes from numbing to finish.
What you feel
Most patients feel a bit of warmth or some brief pressure, nothing more. The area is fully numb, so it isn't painful. If you'd rather be a little more relaxed, we can add light sedation.
Recovery & aftercare
Going home the same day
This is a day-care procedure. After a short rest in the recovery area you head home, usually within a couple of hours of finishing. There are no stitches to come back for.
The next few weeks
Most people are back to normal life within a day or two. You may notice mild soreness, a little bruising, or a firm area where the lump was. All of that is expected and settles within a couple of weeks.
Long-term result
The treated tissue is slowly reabsorbed by the body over the next few months. We bring you back for follow-up ultrasounds at set intervals to confirm the lump is shrinking and the area around it stays healthy.
"Ablation is a procedure that lives or dies on selection. Choose the wrong lump and the result is poor; choose the right one and it's transformative. Because I'm trained in both ablation and traditional surgery, I can tell you honestly when one is the better answer than the other, and I'll always say so."
— Dr. Anukriti Sood
Questions worth asking
Not a surgical one. There's a small puncture mark from the needle that fades over a few weeks and is usually invisible afterwards.
Yes. Microwave ablation is used internationally for benign breast and thyroid lesions and has been studied for years. We always biopsy the lump before ablation, so we know exactly what we're treating, and we bring you back for scans afterwards, so we know it's working.
Slowly. The body reabsorbs the treated tissue over months. Most lumps look noticeably smaller on ultrasound at 3 months and keep shrinking over the next 6 to 12. A small firm patch sometimes stays behind. That's expected and isn't the lump coming back.
If we gave you sedation, please bring someone to drive you home. Most patients are at a desk the next day and back to everything else within a couple of days.
Then ablation isn't the right option. Cancer needs different treatment, and we'd talk through what that looks like — surgery, sometimes other care alongside it — instead of ablating something that needs removing properly.
Related care
All specialitiesBreast Lump Surgery
Removing benign lumps with the smallest reasonable incision, placed where it hides best. Most patients go home the same day.
Learn moreThyroid Nodules
Most thyroid nodules are harmless. The job is to figure out which ones aren't, and that takes ultrasound first, fine-needle aspiration if the scan suggests it. The plan after that depends entirely on what we find.
Learn moreNon-Surgical Breast Treatment
Sometimes the right answer isn't surgery. For lumps that don't need removal and pain that responds to other care, we manage things with medication, watchful follow-up, and small changes that often make a real difference.
Learn moreThe first consultation
is the first step.
Most concerns can be settled in a single, considered conversation. Reach out — answers usually come faster than you’d expect.
Hours
CK Birla Hospital
Mon – Sat: 10 AM – 3 PM
Clinic
Mon – Sat: 5 PM – 7 PM
Sunday: 8 AM – 10 AM
Visit
Medical D/C Center, Kalwar Rd,
Jhotwara, Jaipur 302012