Microwave catheter ablation produced an effectively heated tissue volume >10 times larger than radiofrequency ablation when well-coupled, and >4 times larger when angled 30 degrees.
Does microwave energy ablation increase the volume of heated tissue compared to radiofrequency ablation in a myocardium-equivalent phantom model?
Microwave ablation creates significantly larger volumes of heated tissue compared to standard RF ablation in a phantom model, suggesting potential for more effective ablation of arrhythmogenic tissue.
A highly localized burst of energy applied to the myocardium via a transvenous catheter-mounted power source can be used to destroy endocardial tissue regions which mediate life-threatening arrhythmias. In the past, high-voltage direct current pulses, radio-frequency (RF) current, and laser light have been used as energy sources. In this paper, the use of 2450 MHz microwave energy applied via a miniature coaxial cable-mounted helical coil antenna designed specifically for this application was investigated as a means to increase the treated volume of cardiac tissue in a controllable and efficient manner during ablation. Using an array of fiber optic temperature probes implanted in a saline-perfused, tissue-equivalent gel phantom model designed to simulate the myocardium during ablation, the heating pattern from the microwave antenna was characterized and compared to that induced by a commercial RF electrode catheter at 550 kHz. Effects of variable contact angle between the heat source and heart wall were assessed in terms of the radial penetration and overall volume of heated tissue. Heating patterns from the RF electrodes dropped off much more abruptly both radially and axially than the microwave antenna such that the volume of effectively heated tissue was more than ten times larger for the microwave antenna when the heat sources were well-coupled to the tissue, and more than four times larger for the microwave antenna when the sources were angled 30 degrees away from the tissue surface.
WONNELL et al. (Wed,) conducted a other in Arrhythmias. Microwave catheter ablation vs. Radio-frequency (RF) electrode catheter was evaluated on Volume of effectively heated tissue. Microwave catheter ablation produced an effectively heated tissue volume >10 times larger than radiofrequency ablation when well-coupled, and >4 times larger when angled 30 degrees.
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