Finite element analysis predicts dose-response relationship for constant power and temperature controlled radiofrequency ablation
Radiofrequency (RF) energy is commonly used to ablate cardiac tissue responsible for tachyarrhythmias. Lesion growth with time is investigated for temperature controlled and constant power RF ablation. Computer simulations are performed to obtain the lesion dimensions at various instants during RF energy delivery. After 120 seconds of RF energy delivery a 619.04 mm3, 12.08 mm wide, 8.1 mm deep lesion is obtained for constant power RF ablation and 267.55 mm3, 9.18 mm wide, 6.15 mm deep lesion is obtained for temperature controlled RF ablation. Lesion growth is fastest for the first 20 seconds, subsequently the lesion growth slows reaching a steady state after ≈90 seconds. This suggests that RF applications longer than 90 seconds may not yield additional benefits.
