A review on radiofrequency, laser, and microwave ablations and their thermal monitoring through fiber Bragg gratings

Elena De Vita; Daniela Lo Presti; Carlo Massaroni; Agostino Iadicicco; Emiliano Schena; Stefania Campopiano

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.108260

A review on radiofrequency, laser, and microwave ablations and their thermal monitoring through fiber Bragg gratings

iScience. 2023 Oct 19;26(11):108260. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108260. eCollection 2023 Nov 17.

Authors

Elena De Vita¹, Daniela Lo Presti², Carlo Massaroni², Agostino Iadicicco¹, Emiliano Schena², Stefania Campopiano¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Engineering, University of Naples "Parthenope", 80143 Naples, Italy.
² Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy.

Abstract

Thermal ablation of tumors aims to apply extreme temperatures inside the target tissue to achieve substantial tumor destruction in a minimally invasive manner. Several techniques are comprised, classified according to the type of energy source. However, the lack of treatment selectivity still needs to be addressed, potentially causing two risks: i) incomplete tumor destruction and recurrence, or conversely, ii) damage of the surrounding healthy tissue. Therefore, the research herein reviewed seeks to develop sensing systems based on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) for thermal monitoring inside the lesion during radiofrequency, laser, and microwave ablation. This review shows that, mainly thanks to multiplexing and minimal invasiveness, FBGs provide an optimal sensing solution. Their temperature measurements are the feedback to control the ablation process and allow to investigate different treatments, compare their outcomes, and quantify the impact of factors such as proximity to thermal probe and blood vessels, perfusion, and tissue type.

Keywords: Materials science; Optics.

Publication types

Review