Abstract
RFA (Radiofrequency Ablation) is a thermal coagulation therapy which uses electromagnetic waves (RF) in the 460–480 kHz frequency band. Thermal coagulation necrosis is achieved with the frictional heating (Joule heat) which is generated when AC electromagnetic RF waves are used to create oscillations of charges in the molecular ions at the target site in the tissue. Because the heat generated is concentrated around the needle electrode, the therapy can be confined to a local area. The current which passes through the tissue is heterogeneous due to the localised nature of the resistance values of the tissue, but by controlling the time that the current passes, and energising the current with electrical power step by step, homogeneous ablation can be achieved. And by recirculating the cooling water within the interior of the electrode, excessively rapid ablation in the vicinity of the needle electrode (an increase in tissue resistance) can be avoided. For the cells to become irreversibly dysfunctional in a high-temperature environment of 60°C or greater, we need to check, following the RFA, that the interior of the target tissue has been sufficiently heated.
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Jimbo, K., Kinoshita, T. (2016). A Theory of Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA). In: Kinoshita, T. (eds) Non-surgical Ablation Therapy for Early-stage Breast Cancer. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54463-0_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54463-0_4
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