A study on the selection of electrode materials for hepatic radiofrequency ablation: A numerical approach

Abstract

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) is one of the most extensively practiced and studied tumor ablation therapy to date. This treatment therapy is most commonly used to treat chronic pain, liver tumors, arthritis of the spine, etc. Previous studies suggest that material properties of the electrode used during RFA tend to gain comparatively larger temperature zones leading to better thermal lesions. Material properties of electrodes, especially thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity, play an essential role in achieving a larger ablation zone. In this regard, the present study has analyzed the effect of thermal and electrical conductivity of different electrode materials such as Ni-Ti, Pt-Ir, Au, and Cu used in RFA. A FEM-based numerical approach has been accounted for understanding the behavior of electrode materials and the temperature profile attained post ablation of 10 mins. The results show that with a constant power application for 10 mins of RFA, there is no significant difference in ablation volume and temperature zones for different electrode materials. Moreover, this study suggests that higher thermal and electrical conductivity of electrode materials doesn’t have a significant effect on the thermal lesions. Though it was observed that using Au and Cu electrodes resulted in a larger thermal lesion as compared to Ni-Ti and Pt-Ir, the current study suggests minor benefits in terms of improving the efficacy of the treatment process. The observed results would be highly beneficial for medical practitioners to decide when choosing the electrode for the RFA treatment process.