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Updated: Mar 22, 2026
A Syngeneic Pancreatic Cancer Mouse Model to Study the Effects of Irreversible Electroporation
Published on: June 8, 2018
Electrochemical Effects after Transarterial Chemoembolization in Combination with Percutaneous Irreversible
Dominik Vollherbst1, Robert C Bertheau2, Stefan Fritz3
1Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Clinic for Radiology, Minimally-Invasive Therapies and Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Center Heilbronn-Franken, SLK Kliniken Heilbronn, Heilbronn, Germany.
Purpose:
To evaluate the effects of combined use of transarterial chemoembolization and irreversible electroporation (IRE) for focal tissue ablation in an acute porcine liver model.
Materials And Methods:
Two established interventional techniques were combined: IRE with zones of irreversible and reversible electroporation and chemoembolization with microspheres, iodized oil, and doxorubicin. IRE was performed before chemoembolization in two pigs (pigs 1 and 2; IRE/chemoembolization group), chemoembolization was performed before IRE in two pigs (pigs 3 and 4; chemoembolization/IRE group), and only IRE was performed in two pigs (pigs 5 and 6). Five study groups were defined: IRE/chemoembolization (pigs 1 and 2), chemoembolization/IRE (pigs 3 and 4), IRE only (pigs 5 and 6), chemoembolization only (tissue outside the IRE zones in pigs 1-4), and control (untreated liver tissue outside the IRE zones in pigs 5 and 6). Animals were euthanized 2 hours after intervention. Size and shape of IRE zones on contrast-enhanced computed tomography, cell death on light microscopy, and doxorubicin tissue concentrations on chromatography and fluorescence microscopy were analyzed.
Results:
Size and shape of IRE zones were not significantly different (eg, P = .067 for volume). A histologic marker for irreversible cell death was positive in IRE/chemoembolization, chemoembolization/IRE, and IRE groups only in the macroscopically visible IRE zones. Doxorubicin tissue concentrations were not significantly different (P = .873). However, in the reversible electroporation (RE) zones, broad areas with intense intranuclear doxorubicin accumulation were observed in IRE/chemoembolization but not in chemoembolization/IRE and chemoembolization groups.
Conclusions:
IRE before chemoembolization enhances the intranuclear accumulation of doxorubicin in the RE zone.
