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Influence of vessels on electroporation-based treatments of tumors

Marija Marcan, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering
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Electroporation-based treatments rely on increasing the permeability of the cell membrane by high voltage electric pulses applied to tissue via electrodes. To ensure that the whole tumor is covered with sufficiently high electric field, accurate numerical models are built based on individual patient anatomy and taking into account electrical properties of different tissues.
We have designed a series of simplified models in order to establish the effect of presence of blood vessels in tumor vicinity on the electric field distribution and subsequently the coverage of the tumor with a sufficiently high electric field. Each of these models includes a simple sphere and cylinders geometry that represent a tumor, vessel, and needle electrodes. Different scenarios can be observed by varying tumor size, vessel size, distance between vessel and tumor, electrode configurations (with or without a central electrode) and the position of the vessel relative to electrodes: perpendicular or parallel.
The model files included here are the two basic models from which all other variations can be generated. First model, "ECT4H10" is a model of an electrochemotherapy treatment of a 10 mm diameter tumor with 4 electrodes around the tumor and a vessel perpendicular to the electrodes. Second model, "ECT5V30" is a model of an electrochemotherapy treatment of a 30 mm diameter tumor with 4 electrodes around the tumor and 1 central electrode and a vessel parallel with the electrodes.
NOTE: In order to keep the model files small the models include only one instance of study. The full model requires adding more studies of the same kind so that each study is solved for exactly one physics while others are set to inactive.

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