UC Berkeley

A new minimally invasive tissue ablation technique, that combines the biophysical processes of electroporation and electrolysis, is introduced. The technology employs electrode needles inserted in the target tissue to deliver an Electrolytic Electroporation Waveform (EEW) in the form of an exponential decay voltage, several tens of microsecond long. A case study in a large animal model demonstrates that clinically significant size lesions can be achieved with a single, milliseconds long EEW. Ablation with EEW has major advantages over the comparable tissue ablation techniques of electrolysis, reversible electroporation and irreversible electroporation. EEW is orders of magnitude faster than conventional electrolytic ablation. EEW does not require the use of muscle relaxant as irreversible electroporation and EEW does not require injection of drugs as reversible electroporation. This new technology is simple to use and may become an important addition to the minimally invasive surgery armamentarium.