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Algorithmically Controlled Electroporation: A Technique for Closed Loop Temperature Regulated Pulsed Electric Field
IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering
|July 17, 2020
Summary
A new closed-loop feedback algorithm precisely controls temperature during pulsed electric field treatments, improving ablation outcomes. This temperature-based control allows for targeted hyperthermia, enhancing treatment efficacy for conditions like glioblastoma.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Oncology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatments are used for tissue ablation.
- Current PEF protocols often overlook temperature effects, potentially limiting efficacy.
- Glioblastoma models are crucial for evaluating novel ablation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of a closed-loop, temperature-based feedback algorithm on pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment outcomes.
- To investigate the feasibility of achieving specific hyperthermic conditions using active temperature feedback during PEF ablation.
- To evaluate the influence of controlled temperature increases on ablation size and biological response.
Main Methods:
- A 3D glioblastoma tumor model was used to test bipolar waveforms (2 μs duration).
- Open-loop and closed-loop protocols were compared, with closed-loop evaluating temperature increases of 5–22 °C above baseline.
- A closed-loop algorithm modulated pulse delay to maintain stable target temperatures, overcoming Joule heating limitations.
Main Results:
- Closed-loop treatments resulted in ablation diameters that differed from open-loop treatments, generally producing smaller lesions.
- Steady-state hyperthermia at 42 °C was achieved, which was not feasible with open-loop systems.
- Treatments at 37 °C (11.8 ± 0.3 mm) showed significantly larger ablations (20% increase, p < 0.0001) compared to baseline 20 °C (9.9 ± 0.3 mm), indicating a thermally mediated response.
Conclusions:
- A closed-loop temperature feedback algorithm was successfully demonstrated for PEF treatments.
- Algorithmic control enables precise temperature management, allowing investigation of thermal effects in PEF ablation.
- Findings suggest that PEF ablation outcomes, even with microsecond pulses, can be thermally mediated and dependent on tissue temperature, supporting in vivo studies with temperature control.
