Using multiple-electrode impedance measurements to monitor cryosurgery

We outfitted cryoprobes with electrodes and used them in conjunction with a multiple channel electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system to record data during freezing experiments in a shallow saline tank. We made measurements using electrodes mounted on the probes and the tank's periphery. Reconstructed images based on both sets of electrodes indicate a significant improvement in the appearance of the ice ball over using tank electrodes alone. The size of the ice balls was varied by deliberately altering the cooling rate. We found a positive correlation between the measured size of the ice ball and the sizes of isocontour lines in the reconstructed impedance maps. Similarly, the shape of the ice balls was altered by circulating the saline about the probe. Two-dimensional reconstructed impedance contours indicated a deformation in agreement with the shape of the ice ball during the experiments. These findings suggest that using multielectrode impedance sensing may constitute a means for monitoring cryosurgery.