Microwave catheter ablation of myocardium in vitro. Assessment of the characteristics of tissue heating and injury.

BACKGROUNDRadiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation lesion size has been limited by the small volume of tissue directly heated by the RF electrode. Microwave (MW) energy has been proposed as an alternative energy source to generate larger lesions because of its increased volume of direct tissue heating. To further characterize MW ablation of myocardium, we studied the temperature-versus-distance profiles during MW ablation in an in vitro model of perfused and superfused porcine right ventricular free wall.METHODS AND RESULTSRadial tissue temperatures in 19 isolated porcine right ventricles were measured and recorded with four fluoroptic thermometry probes placed within the myocardium at 2.5-mm radial increments from the catheter. The MW antenna catheters used were monopolar and helical-coil antennas resonating at 915 and 2450 MHz. Durations of energy delivery for a 915-MHz MW monopolar antenna (60 to 600 seconds) and a 4-mm-tip RF electrode (60 and 300 seconds) were varied to compare time courses of lesion fo...