4D Flow MR Imaging to Improve Microwave Ablation Prediction Models:
A Feasibility Study in an In Vivo Porcine Liver just published online in JVIR by Chiang and colleagues from UCLA is a great study showing the effects of vascular heat sinks during high power microwave ablation at 2450MHz. Ablation zone size correlated significantly with hepatic vein size and vessel-antenna spacing. Volume of ablations varied between 2.5-12.4ml. Our pending study soon to be published in JVIR is a great follow-up study whereby we used an MR compatible high power 2450mHz microwave system to also create and monitor liver ablations in vivo in a large porcine model with and without HeatSYNC™ our thermal accelerant gel and MR thermometry. We achieved ablation volumes of 27.6ml compared to 18.6ml without HeatSYNC™. Also the ablations were spherical not elliptical as was seen in Chiang and colleagues study as well as our control group in our pending publication.
