A Study of Dynamic Impedance of Glioma Tissues Treated with High-Frequency Irreversible Electroporation

High-frequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE) is a novel, non-thermal ablation technique with significant potential for glioma treatment, offering advantages such as precise tumor ablation and reduced adverse effects, including muscle contractions and unintended thermal damage to surrounding tissues. By applying high-voltage pulsed electric fields, H-FIRE induces irreversible nanopore formation in cell membranes, leading to tumor cell apoptosis. The dynamic changes in tissue electrical conductivity during H-FIRE directly affect the electric field distribution, which is crucial for achieving optimal therapeutic outcomes. This study experimentally measured the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of glioma tissues freshly excised from patients following H-FIRE ablation at various voltage amplitudes. An equivalent circuit model was employed to extract electrical conductivity values, allowing a quantitative analysis of its relationship with applied voltages. Finally, the finite element analysis was performed based on the experimentally obtained electrical conductivity values to compare the effects of static and dynamic conductivity and the conductivity corresponding to different samples on the ablation area. The results lay the groundwork for optimizing the H-FIRE treatment parameters and improving the understanding of the effect of electrical conductivity changes on the ablation area during glioma ablation.