COLLOQUIUM
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
University of South Carolina
Computer Modeling of Radio-frequency Ablation
Dieter Haemmerich
Department of Surgery
University of Wisconsin
Date: February 27, 2004 (Friday)
Time: 3:30-4:30PM
Place: Swearingen 1A03 (Faculty Lounge)
Abstract
Radio-frequency (RF) ablation is a minimally invasive treatment method of liver cancer,
a very common form of cancer. Classic surgery is the standard method of treatment, but it
is only possible in 10-20% of the patients due to unfavorable tumor location and surgical
risk. The most widely used treatment method of liver cancer in the world is RF ablation.
A catheter is introduced into the tumor either during open surgery, laparoscopy or through
a small incision in the skin. Electrical current is applied to the catheter, and the cancer
tissue is heated up and destroyed once temperature reaches around 50°C. A drawback of
RF ablation is the high local recurrence rate of around 30%. Computer models can show
current shortcomings of RF ablation, assist in evaluating improved devices, and help the
physician in planning the treatment. I will present Finite Element Method (FEM)
computer models of RF ablation. In these models the electrical and thermal differential
equations are solved. The end results are the temperature distribution and the electrical
current density distribution in the tissue. I will show how the models lead to improved
devices, how the models were verified, and what is needed to make them more accurate.
Dieter Haemmerich is an Assistant Scientist in the Department of Surgery at the University of
Wisconsin in Madison. He received M.S. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from
the Technical University of Vienna, Austria, and in Biomedical Engineering from the University
of Wisconsin, in 1998 and 2000, respectively, the Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from
the University of Wisconsin in 2001, and the Dr.Sci. degree in Electrical and Computer
Engineering from the Technical University of Vienna in 2003. Dr. Haemmerich’s research is in
the fields of medical instrumentation and biomedical computing, with special emphasis on radio-
frequency ablation and its application to the treatment of liver cancer.