Calibration of Parameters for Radio-Frequency Ablation Simulation

We consider the simulation of the thermal and electrical processes, involved in the radio-frequency (RF) ablation procedure. RF ablation is a low invasive technique for the treatment of hepatic tumors, utilizing AC current to destroy the tumor cells by heating. The procedure consists of inserting an RF probe in the patients liver and attaching a ground pad to the skin. After that the AC current is initiated and maintained for a prescribed duration. We have conducted experiments with a pork liver and an RF ablation apparatus capable of measuring and recording some of the procedure parameters. Those include the applied power, the effective electrical impedance, and the temperature around the tip of the probe. A history of the values at each second of the test is obtained at the end. Our aim is to adjust the material properties and other model parameters for the simulation to fit the experimentally obtained results. The electrical conductivity of the tissue can be deduced from the measured power and impedance. After that, we need to determine suitable heat conductivity and capacity coefficients. This is achieved via temperature curves comparison.