Irreversible electroporation

About: Irreversible electroporation is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1272 publications have been published within this topic receiving 34579 citations. The topic is also known as: IRE.

Thermal ablation of tumours: biological mechanisms and advances in therapy.

Abstract: Minimally invasive thermal ablation of tumours has become common since the advent of modern imaging. From the ablation of small, unresectable tumours to experimental therapies, percutaneous radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, cryoablation and irreversible electroporation have an increasing role in the treatment of solid neoplasms. This Opinion article examines the mechanisms of tumour cell death that are induced by the most common thermoablative techniques and discusses the rapidly developing areas of research in the field, including combinatorial ablation and immunotherapy, synergy with conventional chemotherapy and radiation, and the development of a new ablation modality in irreversible electroporation.

Tissue ablation with irreversible electroporation

Abstract: A new method for the ablation of undesirable tissue such as cells of a cancerous or non-cancerous tumor is disclosed. It involves the placement of electrodes into or near the vicinity of the undesirable tissue through the application of electrical pulses causing irreversible electroporation of the cells throughout the entire area of the undesirable tissue. The electric pulses irreversibly permeate the cell membranes, thereby invoking cell death. The irreversibly permeabilized cells are left in situ and are removed by the body immune system. The amount of tissue ablation achievable through the use of irreversible electroporation without inducing thermal damage is considerable.

Irreversible electroporation: a new ablation modality--clinical implications.

Abstract: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a new tissue ablation technique in which micro to millisecond electrical pulses are delivered to undesirable tissue to produce cell necrosis through irreversible cell membrane permeabilization. IRE affects only the cell membrane and no other structure in the tissue. The goal of the study is to test our IRE tissue ablation methodology in the pig liver, provide first experience results on long term histopathology of IRE ablated tissue, and discuss the clinical implications of the findings. The study consists of: a) designing an IRE ablation protocol through a mathematical analysis of the electrical field during electroporation; b) using ultrasound to position the electroporation electrodes in the predetermined locations and subsequently to monitor the process; c) applying the predetermined electrotroporation pulses; d) performing histolopathology on the treated samples for up to two weeks after the procedure; and e) correlating the mathematical analysis, ultrasound data...

Electroporation-Based Technologies for Medicine: Principles, Applications, and Challenges

Abstract: When high-amplitude, short-duration pulsed electric fields are applied to cells and tissues, the permeability of the cell membranes and tissue is increased. This increase in permeability is currently explained by the temporary appearance of aqueous pores within the cell membrane, a phenomenon termed electroporation. During the past four decades, advances in fundamental and experimental electroporation research have allowed for the translation of electroporation-based technologies to the clinic. In this review, we describe the theory and current applications of electroporation in medicine and then discuss current challenges in electroporation research and barriers to a more extensive spread of these clinical applications.

In vivo results of a new focal tissue ablation technique: irreversible electroporation

Abstract: This paper reports results of in vivo experiments that confirm the feasibility of a new minimally invasive method for tissue ablation, irreversible electroporation (IRE). Electroporation is the generation of a destabilizing electric potential across biological membranes that causes the formation of nanoscale defects in the lipid bilayer. In IRE, these defects are permanent and lead to cell death. This paper builds on our earlier theoretical work and demonstrates that IRE can become an effective method for nonthermal tissue ablation requiring no drugs. To test the capability of IRE pulses to ablate tissue in a controlled fashion, we subjected the livers of male Sprague-Dawley rats to a single 20-ms-long square pulse of 1000 V/cm, which calculations had predicted would cause nonthermal IRE. Three hours after the pulse, treated areas in perfusion-fixed livers exhibited microvascular occlusion, endothelial cell necrosis, and diapedeses, resulting in ischemic damage to parenchyma and massive pooling of erythrocytes in sinusoids. However, large blood vessel architecture was preserved. Hepatocytes displayed blurred cell borders, pale eosinophilic cytoplasm, variable pyknosis and vacuolar degeneration. Mathematical analysis indicates that this damage was primarily nonthermal in nature and that sharp borders between affected and unaffected regions corresponded to electric fields of 300-500 V/cm.