Fiber-Optic Temperature and Pressure Sensors Applied to Radiofrequency Thermal Ablation in Liver Phantom: Methodology and Experimental Measurements

Figure 1

RFTA setup. A radiofrequency generator (RFG) is used to power an ablation device having 3/4 mm inner/outer diameter and with 1 cm active length on the tip; the active electrode (AE) is connected to the ablator, while the passive electrode (PE) is connected to a plate below the measurement chamber, in a neutral spot. RF power is monitored in real time through an oscilloscope. The measurement chamber, made of extruded polystyrene (XPS), is designed in accordance to each experiment and internally hosts the porcine liver tissue. Two thermocouples (TCs) are used as reference, one positioned internally to the ablator, one positioned externally in the tissue, and both controlled with a data acquisition (DAQ) system in LabVIEW.