Irreversible electroporation of the pancreas in swine: a pilot study

Background: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a novel, non-thermal method of tissue ablation using short pulses of high-voltage DC current to ablate tissue. Methods: Irreversible electroporation of the pancreas was performed in four domestic female swine using two monopolar probes spaced 9-15 mm apart. Ninety pulses of 1500 V/cm were delivered for each ablation. Results: All animals survived for their designated times of 2 h (n = 1), 2 days (n = 1) and 14 days (n = 2), respectively. No procedure-related complications occurred. Three animals in which probes had been spaced at intervals of 10 +/- 1 mm showed evidence of irreversible ablation, with ablation height ranging from <10 mm to 21 mm and ablation width ranging from <10 mm to 16 mm by gross appearance and triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. The only animal in which probes had been spaced at intervals of 15 mm did not show evidence of irreversible ablation at 2 weeks. This may be secondary to the wider probe spacing and relatively low voltage, which results in a mostly reversible form of electroporation without cell death. Conclusions: Irreversible electroporation appears to be a safe method for pancreas tissue ablation. Staining with TTC can predict the zone of IRE ablation within 2 h of treatment.