Transient, Image-Guided Gel-Dissection for Percutaneous Thermal Ablation

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Oncology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Image-guided tumor ablative therapies are crucial cancer treatments.
• Current methods like hydrodissection have limitations including fluid diffusion and short retention times.
• These limitations can lead to collateral damage, incomplete tumor ablation, and increased cancer recurrence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel "gel-dissection" technique using injectable hydrogels for transient tissue separation.
• To improve safety and efficacy in image-guided tumor ablative therapies.
• To overcome the limitations of traditional hydrodissection methods.

Main Methods:

• Development of an injectable hydrogel system for tissue displacement.
• Rheological modeling to understand and optimize gel-dissection parameters.
• In vivo evaluation in swine models to assess tissue separation duration, volume requirements, and thermal protection.

Main Results:

• Gel-dissection demonstrated 24 times longer-lasting tissue separation compared to saline.
• Achieved effective tissue separation with 40% less injected volume.
• Provided clinically significant thermal protection and anti-dependent dissection between organs.

Conclusions:

• Gel-dissection offers a superior alternative to hydrodissection for creating transient tissue separation.
• This technique enhances control and safety in ablative therapies, potentially expanding minimally invasive treatment options.
• Gel-dissection holds promise for improving outcomes in locoregional therapies such as radiation, cryoablation, endoscopy, and surgery.