Finite Element Analysis Of Invasive Microwave Coagulation Of Liver Tumors With B-Mode Ultrasonography Monitoring

Invasive Microwave Coagulation (IMC) therapy is a newly developed method for the treatment of liver tumors. In this paper, Constant-Power IMC therapy is discussed. Three-dimensional finite element analysis for "alternative" heating pattern and a large blood vessel bioheat model are performed. The objectives are to study: 1) the effects of "alternative" heating pattern of invasive microwave antennas on reducing the peak temperature which can be up to 140℃. 2) the cooling effects of large blood vessel on lesion formation. Corresponding in vivo pig experiments and several clinical cases are provided to compare with the simulation results. The results indicate that: a) the "alternative?heating pattern was efficient in reducing the peak temperature and diminishing the dimension of "super hot"area; b) the heat loss due to the cooling of the large blood vessel is so great that attempting to compensate the cool area by thermal method is unfeasible, which explains why occluding the blood vessel is a practical approach to deal with this problem during the invasive microwave coagulation therapy.