Research and parameter optimization of boundary temperature-controlled regional radiofrequency ablation algorithm in...

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a commonly used technique for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, current techniques still face issues with incomplete ablation, local tumor recurrence, or excessive ablation that causes damage to normal tissues. This study aims to compare the ablation effects of traditional constant-power RFA (TCP-RFA) and boundary temperature-controlled RFA (BTC-RFA) conditions in an ex vivo bovine liver under water-cooling equipment. Additionally, it seeks to optimize the parameters of the BTC-RFA algorithm to improve the precision of ablation. The proportion of damage area (PDA) were evaluated by ImageJ software and statistical analysis was performed on the experimental results. Results indicated that BTC-RFA mode significantly reduced the PDA compared to TCP-RFA. Optimal ablation was achieved with 45 W initial power, a temperature control range of 55°C-65°C, and a 10°C temperature control step, demonstrating BTC-RFA's superiority in achieving precise and effective tumor ablation. This study confirmed the effectiveness of the BTC-RFA algorithm, which can achieve complete ablation of tumor tissue while significantly reducing damage to non-targeted normal tissues.