Abstract:
A novel expanded tip wire (ETW) catheter antenna is
proposed for microwave ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation
(AF). The antenna is designed as an integral part of coaxial
cable so that it can be inserted via a 6F catheter. A numerical model
based on the rotationally symmetric finite-difference time-domain
technique incorporating the generalized perfectly matched layer as
the absorbing boundary condition has been utilized to accurately
model the interaction between the antenna and the myocardium.
Numerical and in-vitro experimental results are presented for specific
absorption rate, return loss and heating pattern produced by
the antenna. Both numerical modeling and in-vitro experimentation
show that the proposed ETW antenna produces a well-defined
electric field distribution that provides continuous long and linear
lesions for the treatment of AF.
