Maxwell's equations explain why irreversible electroporation will not heat up a metal stent. (April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: van der Geld, Cees W.M.; van Gaalen, Ruben T.; Scheffer, Hester J.; Vogel, Jantien A.; van den Bos, Willemien; Meijerink, Martijn R.; Besselink, Marc G.H.; Verdaasdonk, Rudolf M.; van Gemert, Martin J.C.
• Is Part Of: International journal of heat and mass transfer. Volume 169(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-04
• Subjects: Irreversible electroporation -- Electric field -- Heat conduction -- Stent; Heat -- Transmission -- Periodicals; Mass transfer -- Periodicals; Chaleur -- Transmission -- Périodiques; Transfert de masse -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 621.4022
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2021.120962
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0017-9310

Abstract

Highlights: A metal stent will not be heated up by electrical pulses under clinical conditions. Close to a stent, temperatures in a typical run remain lower than without the stent. The experimentally observed rim of viable tissue around the stent is explained. Accurate simplifications of the electric field generated by needles in are provided. Abstract: Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) is a promising clinical ablation therapy for the treatment of cancer, but issues with the generation of heat must be solved before safe and effective clinical results can be obtained. In the present study, we show that a metal stent will not be noticeably heated up by IRE pulses under typical clinical conditions. Derivation of this non-intuitive result required the application of Maxwell's equations to the tissue-stent configuration. Subsequently, straightforward and arguably accurate simplifications of the electric field generated by two needles in tissue surrounding a metal stent have enabled the modeling of the heat generation and the transport of heat in IRE procedures. Close to a stent that is positioned in between two needles, temperatures in a typical run of 100 s, 1 Hz pulses, may remain notably lower than without the stent. This is the explanation of the experimentally observed low temperature rim of viable tissue around the stent, whereas all tissue was non-viable without stent, found in tissue model experiments.