Irreversible electroporation ablation against subcutaneously implanted VX₂ tumors in rabbits: findings of shearwave ultrasound elastography

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate stiffness changes of rabbit subcutaneous VX2 tumors before and after irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablationby shearwave ultrasound elastography (SWE). Methods IRE was performed on 20 subcutaneously implanted VX2 tumors in rabbits (R-SIVX2). Tumor stiffness was measured by SWE at different time points (before IRE,120minutes after IRE,7 days after IRE and 14 days after IRE). Results Before IRE, the mean stiffness (Emean) of tumors was (10.45 ± 1.07) KPa. 120 minutes after I RE, the Emean of tumors obviously rose to (70.53 ± 9.87) KPa. 7 days after IRE, the Emean of tumors decreased to (40.22 ± 9.01) KPa. 14 days after IRE, the Emean of tumors was (15.17 ± 1.00) KPa. A clear boundary was observed between the ablation area and the normal tissues in the pathological results. Conclusions The stiffness of the VX2 tumors experienced a first rise process and tend to be normal in the procedure of IRE. SWE could provide tissue stiffness information of different IRE ablation period as a non-invasive method.

Resurgence of Covid-19 pandemic: Challenging situation of economics vs. healthcare

“…Whether that is related to diagnostic test 7,8 or basic research aimed at understanding molecular aspects of drug action 9 or novel innovation in treatment. 10 All that is responsibility of any peerreviewed multidisciplinary journal such as SMJ. Two articles on imaging in cardiovascular medicine are worth mentioning in this issue.…”