Resistive Part of Impedance as a Possible Indicator of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Arch Med Res. 2018 Feb;49(2):89-93. doi: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2018.04.012. Epub 2018 May 17.

Abstract

Background and aims: In this work, the multi-frequency impedance both in normal and liver cancer tissues was studied. This was to investigate the feasibility to detect liver cancer by a low cost, easy to use, and a relatively non-invasive electrical impedance measure technique, and thus potentially improving liver cancer diagnosis.

Methods: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was induced in male Wistar rats by the administration of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) during 16 weeks. The electrical impedances at a frequency sweep of 10-100 KHz in the whole body and 10-60 KHz in the liver were taken at the end of the treatment.

Results: The electrical impedance showed that the real component values of the impedance change in HCC. In addition, we found that the imaginary component was not associated with HCC.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that the electrical impedance may be used as a diagnostic HCC tool.

Keywords: Bioelectrical impedance analysis; Cancer detection; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Resistive electrical component; Tetrapolar arrangement.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / diagnosis*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology*
  • Diethylnitrosamine
  • Electric Impedance*
  • Liver / pathology
  • Liver Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Male
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar

Substances

  • Diethylnitrosamine