Thermal Simulation and Analysis of Cell Injury in Cryosurgery of Human Liver Cancer Ablation

Abstract

Our study investigates the implementation of cryosurgery for human liver cancer ablation. Cancer ablation using low-temperature refrigeration technique is a recent and challenging technique and may be recommended for patients parallel with other medication systems, or for patients who experience health complications undergoing other cancer medications. Specifically, in this study, a model consisting of human liver cancer tissues subjected to low-temperature refrigeration through a cryogenic probe is thermally simulated and analyzed using ANSYS software. The liver cancerous tissue was assumed to be 0.025 m in length, 0.025 m in width and 0.005 m in depth. The model simulations were performed at cryoprobe tip temperatures of – 100 ^oC and – 200^oC to analog the real clinical implementation of the technique. The temperature distributions across the cancerous liver tissue are obtained in 8 locations. Based on the present thermal analysis the extension of cooling, freezing, and thawing stages are defined and suggested to be estimated prior the implementation of cryotherapy as they can be used to identify the thermal history parameters responsible for obtaining complete cell injury. In addition, intracellular ice crystals to the formation mechanism is studied and their formation is may be subjected to an influence of thermodynamic properties in the microscopic domain besides the thermal history parameters such as cooling rate, cryoprobe tip temperature in relation to the extent of cooling, freezing and thawing stages.

Keywords: Cryosurgery; Liver Cancer; Direct Cell Injury; Intracellular Ice Crystal; Cryotherapy; Cancer Treatment; ANSYS Software.