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Objective: Tissue electroporation is achieved by applying a series of electric pulses to destabilize cell membranes within the target tissue. The treatment volume is dictated by the electric field distribution, which depends on the pulse parameters and tissue type and can be readily predicted using numerical methods. These models require the relevant tissue properties to be known beforehand. This study aims to quantify electrical and thermal properties for three different tissue types relevant to current clinical electroporation. Methods: Pancreatic, brain, and liver tissue were harvested from pigs, then treated with IRE pulses in a parallel-plate configuration. Resulting current and temperature readings were used to calculate the conductivity and its temperature dependence for each tissue type. Finally, a computational model was constructed to examine the impact of differences between tissue types. Results: Baseline conductivity values (mean 0.11, 0.14, and 0.12 S/m) and temperature coefficients of conductivity (mean 2.0, 2.3, and 1.2 % per degree Celsius) were calculated for pancreas, brain, and liver, respectively. The accompanying computational models suggest field distribution and thermal damage volumes are dependent on tissue type. Conclusion: The three tissue types show similar electrical and thermal responses to IRE, though brain tissue exhibits the greatest differences. The results also show that tissue type plays a role in the expected ablation and thermal damage volumes. Significance: The conductivity and its changes due to heating are expected to have a marked impact on the ablation volume. Incorporating these tissue properties aids in the prediction and optimization of electroporation-based therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the development of an experimental set-up for measurements of thermal conductivity of solid materials, such as ceramics, polymers, rubbers, glasses, biological materials, etc. whose thermal conductivity lies in the approximate range between 0.1 and 2 W/mK. The set-up was designed on the principle of the single-sided guarded hot plate method. In order to find the optimal design for generation of traceable 1-D heat flux through an investigated 300 mm × 300 mm specimen, a numerical heat transfer finite element method analysis was performed. The principal components of the measuring apparatus, such as hot plate with thermopile, cold plate, and auxiliary hot plate, were constructed according to the obtained results of simulations. Software for the control of experiment and data acquisition was developed using the LabVIEW programming environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]