Pilot study of irreversible electroporation for intracranial surgery

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a new minimally invasive technique to treat cancer using intense but short electric pulses. This technique is unique because of its non-thermal mechanism of tissue ablation. Furthermore it can be predicted with numerical models and can be confirmed with ultrasound and MRI. We present some preliminary results on the safety of using irreversible electroporation for canine brain surgery. We also present the electric field (460 V/cm - 560 V/cm) necessary for focal ablation of canine brain tissue and provide some guidelines for treatment planning and execution. This preliminary study is the first step towards using irreversible electroporation as a brain cancer treatment.