Abstract
Background Radio-frequency ablation of gastric tissue is in its infancy compared to its extensive history and use in the cardiac field.Aims We employed power-controlled, irrigated radio-frequency ablation to create lesions on the serosal surface of the stomach to examine the impact of ablation power, irrigation, temperature, and impedance on lesion formation and tissue damage.Methods A total of 160 lesions were created in vivo in female weaner pigs (n = 5) using a combination of four power levels (10, 15, 20, 30 W) at two irrigation rates (2, 5 mL min(-1)) and with one temperature-controlled (65 & DEG;C) reference setting previously validated for electrophysiological intervention in the stomach.Results Power and irrigation rate combinations above 15 W resulted in lesions with significantly higher surface area and depth than the temperature-controlled setting. Irrigation resulted in significantly lower temperature (p < 0.001) and impedance (p < 0.001) compared to the temperature-controlled setting. No instances of perforation or tissue pop were recorded for any ablation sequence.Conclusion Power-controlled, irrigated radio-frequency ablation of gastric tissue is effective in creating larger and deeper lesions at reduced temperatures than previously investigated temperature-controlled radio-frequency ablation, highlighting a substantial improvement. These data define the biophysical impact of ablation parameters in gastric tissue, and they will guide future translation toward clinical application and in silico gastric ablation modeling.
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