Electrochemical treatment: An investigation of dose-response relationships using an isolated liver perfusion model.

Background/aim: Ablative techniques such as radiofrequency ablation or non-thermal electrochemical treatment (ECT) are used to manage unresectable liver metastases. Although ECT is not affected by the cooling effect from adjacent vessels, there is a paucity of data available on ECT.

Materials And Methods: We used porcine livers to establish an organ model with portal venous and hepatic arterial blood flow for a standardized analysis of the relationship between dose (electric charge) and response (volume of necrosis).

Intrahepatic radiofrequency ablation versus electrochemical treatment ex vivo.

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and electrochemical treatment (ECT) are two methods of local liver tumor ablation. A reproducible perfusion model allowed us to compare these methods when applied in proximity to vascular structures.

Material And Methods: In a porcine liver perfusion model, we used RFA (group A) and ECT (group B) to perform ablations under ultrasound guidance within 10 mm of a vessel and examined the induced necrosis macroscopically and histologically.