Electrical Ablation Planning With Tissue Heat and Field Modeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for placing electrodes in electrical treatment devices are prone to human error, making it difficult to accurately predict and visualize the treatment region, especially in irregular tissue masses, and there is a lack of real-time analysis for optimizing electrical and thermal exposure during irreversible electroporation therapies.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using a treatment planning module to generate estimated heat and electric field distributions, allowing for graphical representation and optimization of electrode placement to prevent thermal and electrical overexposure, incorporating tissue-specific conductivity parameters and dynamic conductivity changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional manual electrode placement methods are used, then the operation is simple and quick, but the precision of treatment region prediction deteriorates due to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a treatment planning module as an intermediary between the operator and the electrode placement process. This module uses computer algorithms to calculate and visualize the electric field distribution and predicted treatment zones based on electrode positions and tissue properties, thereby improving prediction accuracy without requiring complex manual calculations or guesswork
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy or simulation of the treatment scenario by modeling the electric field distribution and heating patterns before actual electrode placement. This allows operators to visualize and optimize the treatment region prediction in a virtual environment, improving accuracy before committing to actual treatment
2Manufacturing precision
If real-time analysis of heat and electric field distribution is implemented, then the optimization of electrode placement improves, but the computational time and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of heat and electric field distributions before actual electrode placement by using pre-defined tissue conductivity parameters and standard electrode configurations. This allows the treatment planning module to provide optimized predictions in advance, reducing the need for time-consuming real-time computations during the actual treatment procedure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes tissue-specific conductivity parameters that can be selected from pre-stored values corresponding to different tissue types. By changing parameters rather than performing full computational simulations for each scenario, the system achieves accurate predictions with reduced computational time and resources
3Measurement precision
If tissue-specific conductivity parameters are incorporated into the model, then the accuracy of ablation zone estimation improves, but the complexity of data requirements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates tissue-specific conductivity parameters by allowing users to select from pre-defined parameter sets corresponding to different tissue types (e.g., liver, kidney, brain). This approach improves ablation zone estimation accuracy by accounting for tissue variability while avoiding the complexity of real-time parameter measurement and adjustment, as the parameters can be selected based on standard medical knowledge of tissue properties
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise prediction of treatment zones, reducing the risk of thermal damage and ensuring effective tissue ablation by optimizing electrode placement and energy delivery protocols.
Implementation Method 1
modeling a heat distribution in the tissue based on the one or more parameters
Implementation Method 2
generate an estimated heat and electric field distributions
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for modeling and for providing a graphical representation of tissue heating and electric field distributions for medical treatment devices that apply electrical treatment energy through one or a plurality of electrodes. In embodiments, methods comprise: providing one or more parameters of a treatment protocol for delivering one or more electrical pulses to tissue through a plurality of electrodes; modeling electric and heat distribution in the tissue based on the parameters; and displaying a graphical representation of the modeled electric and heat distribution. In another embodiment, a treatment planning module is adapted to generate an estimated target ablation zone based on a combination of one or more parameters for an irreversible electroporation protocol and one or more tissue-specific conductivity parameters.