Abstract
A balloon-catheter optical diffuser for endometrial treatment was evaluated with computational thermal analysis. Various catheter materials and dimensions were implemented to identify the optimal design for the device. Spatial and temporal development of temperature during 30-sec irradiation of 532-nm light demonstrated thermal insulation effects of polyurethane on temperature increase up to 384 K, facilitating the irreversible denaturation. The current model revealed the degree of thermal coagulation 13% thicker than experimental results possibly due to lack of tissue dynamics and light intensity distribution. In combination with photon distribution, the analytical simulation can be a feasible tool to optimize the new optical diffuser for efficient and safe endometrial treatment.
Highlights
Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), called menorrhagia, is a common clinical problem accounting for 12% of all gynecological outpatient referrals in women of reproductive age [1,2,3]
In an attempt to enhance the clinical feasibility of endometrial photocoagulation as well as to optimize the new design of a balloon-catheter diffusing optical device, the current study developed a computational thermal model of photocoagulation in endometrial tissue
It should be noted that 0 mm thickness represents no catheter case and saline at room temperature was assumed to surround both the optical diffuser and the tissue surface
Summary
Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), called menorrhagia, is a common clinical problem accounting for 12% of all gynecological outpatient referrals in women of reproductive age [1,2,3]. AUB is typically defined as the cyclical loss of more than 80 ml of blood over general menstruation cycles [1,4]. Potential etiology of AUB includes local pathology such as hormonal imbalance, dysfunction of the ovaries, uterine fibroids, or infection [3,4]. Treatments of AUB have been achieved with various methods including medication, endometrial destruction, and hysterectomy [4,5,6]. Due to sudden hormonal changes, drug treatment often causes side-effects such as loss of estrogen and dyspareunia, merely providing ephemeral relief [7]. Hysterectomy has been opted for a definitive global treatment, the procedure is quite costly and causes a lengthy convalescence with psychological effects. Hysterectomy is usually pursued only when either medical therapy or ablative endometrium fails [6,8]
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