Experimental evaluation of the effective ablation zone on ex-vivo bovine liver samples

Microwave thermal ablation is under investigation for minimally invasive treatments. In the cases of small targets, such as adrenal glands, microwave thermal ablation is a valuable alternative to the traditional and more invasive treatments (e.g. surgical procedures, pharmaceutical therapies). In this work, ablation treatments are carried out on ex-vivo liver samples using a custom developed microwave ablation applicator for ablation of small targets. Ablation zones achieved with different treatment settings are analysed. The power and time settings suitable to achieve a small and well controlled ablation zone, are evaluated. Moreover, the temperature increase in different regions of the area under treatment is assessed.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon-2020 Programme (H2020)/ERC grant agreement n.637780 and ERC PoC Grant REALTA n.754308.peer-reviewe