Thermal Ablation Therapy

Book excerpt: Thermal Ablation Therapy: Theory and Simulation includes detailed theoretical and technical concepts of thermal ablation therapy in different body organs. Concepts of ablation technology based on different thermal ablation methods are introduced, along with changes in the tissues' mechanical properties due to thermal denaturation. The book emphasizes the mathematical and engineering concepts of RF and MW energy propagation through tissues and where high heating rates produced by MW systems can overcome the heat-sink effects from nearby vessels. The design and tuning of the MW antennas to deliver energy efficiently to specific organ systems such as the liver or lung is also covered. Other sections cover the computational modeling of radiofrequency ablation and microwave ablation procedures for developing and implementing new efficient ablation in clinical systems, numerical simulations for different scenarios of different organs with different size using RF and MW ablation systems with different antennas'/probes design and configurations, and numerical techniques for temperature profile in tissues. Presents the latest mathematical models of microwave and RF ablation theories Discusses the biological responses and engineering principles by which thermal ablation techniques can provide temperature-elevation within the organs of the human body, including action mechanisms, required equipment, needle characteristics and treatment techniques Highlights the different techniques of thermal ablation, including radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, laser ablation, and ultrasound ablation, nanotechnology, and the different metrics used to evaluate the performance of the used antenna within the ablation needle