The effects of irreversible electroporation on the stomach wall after ablating hepatic tissues

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of irreversible electroporation (IRE) on the stomach wall after IRE was applied on liver tissues adjacent to the anterior wall of the stomach. IRE ablation was performed in eight Tibet mini-pigs with three lesions per pig. The IRE electrodes were inserted into the liver tissues situated close to the anterior wall of the stomach. As for the control group, the IRE electrodes were also inserted into the liver tissues for three lesions in four Tibet mini-pigs but did not turn on the current. Serum aminotransferase and WBC levels clearly increased in all the IRE ablated animals by Day 1 and decreased gradually thereafter. The gross postmortem examination at 7 days post-IRE revealed a whitish lesion with sharp demarcation on the serosal surface of the stomach, but we could not find any signs of ablation or just find a small, slightly reddish lesion at the Day-28 examination. On the Day-7 histopathological examination, inflammation and fibrosis were observed in the serosal layer of the stomach in each animal and mild inflammation of the myofibers was found in only two pigs. All the stomach layers returned to normalcy by 28 days post-IRE. Thus, IRE ablation of hepatic tissues situated close to the stomach wall cannot lead to stomach perforation. IRE is therefore a safe procedure for ablating hepatic tumors that are adjacent to the stomach.