Is a single lethal electric field threshold sufficient to characterize the lesion size in computational modeling of cardiac pulsed-field ablation?

Background: Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is a novel cardiac ablation technology based on irreversible electroporation (IRE). PFA computational models rely on identification of a lethal electric field threshold to predict the IRE area. However, the predicted lesion anisotropy ratios (width over depth)...

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Authors: Petras, Argyrios; Amorós Figueras, Gerard; Moreno Weidmann, Zoraida; García Sánchez, Tomás; Viladés-Medel, David; Ivorra Cano, Antoni, 1974-; Guerra, Jose M.; Gerardo-Giorda, Luca
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Repository:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:rdupf_______::eaf762c2ba8053b6673730b0b35c67f1
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10230/72833
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hroo.2025.02.014
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Cardiac ablation
Computer simulations
Pulsed field ablation
Electric field threshold
Mathematical modeling
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author Petras, Argyrios
author2 Amorós Figueras, Gerard
Moreno Weidmann, Zoraida
García Sánchez, Tomás
Viladés-Medel, David
Ivorra Cano, Antoni, 1974-
Guerra, Jose M.
Gerardo-Giorda, Luca
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author_browse Amorós Figueras, Gerard
García Sánchez, Tomás
Gerardo-Giorda, Luca
Guerra, Jose M.
Ivorra Cano, Antoni, 1974-
Moreno Weidmann, Zoraida
Petras, Argyrios
Viladés-Medel, David
author_facet Petras, Argyrios
Amorós Figueras, Gerard
Moreno Weidmann, Zoraida
García Sánchez, Tomás
Viladés-Medel, David
Ivorra Cano, Antoni, 1974-
Guerra, Jose M.
Gerardo-Giorda, Luca
author_role author
collection Repositorio Digital de la UPF
description Background: Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is a novel cardiac ablation technology based on irreversible electroporation (IRE). PFA computational models rely on identification of a lethal electric field threshold to predict the IRE area. However, the predicted lesion anisotropy ratios (width over depth) vary extensively among recent studies, and these discrepancies remain a subject of discussion. Objective: This work aims to evaluate the predicted lesion anisotropy ratios using a PFA computational model by applying it to an open-chest in vivo porcine model geometry. Methods: Six domestic swine underwent epicardial PFA applications using a previously described waveform protocol. Animals were killed at least 3 hours after the last ablation, and lesions were assessed using triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Numeric simulations were performed on a segmented and meshed porcine thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan, mimicking the open-chest experimental setup. Results: The maximum width of all simulated lesions was observed at the epicardial surface. The anisotropy ratios (AR) of the experimental lesions were smaller than the simulated ones (AR experimental vs simulated, 1.0-1.7 vs 2-2.7; Q1-Q3 quartiles). Increasing the peak voltage resulted in larger lesions; however, the computational model clearly underestimated the increase in lesion depth compared with the experimental data. Conclusion: Our computational model shows that a single lethal electric field threshold is insufficient to accurately predict both lesion depth and width in cardiac PFA. Our study suggests that for the given PFA waveforms, a threshold between 270 and 500 V/cm provides satisfactory lesion depth estimations, and a higher threshold between 790 and 1000 V/cm better captures the lesion width.
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
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institution Universitat Pompeu Fabra
instname_str Universitat Pompeu Fabra
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
oai_identifier_str oai:dnet:rdupf_______::eaf762c2ba8053b6673730b0b35c67f1
publishDate 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
reponame_str Repositorio Digital de la UPF
spelling Is a single lethal electric field threshold sufficient to characterize the lesion size in computational modeling of cardiac pulsed-field ablation? Petras, Argyrios Amorós Figueras, Gerard Moreno Weidmann, Zoraida García Sánchez, Tomás Viladés-Medel, David Ivorra Cano, Antoni, 1974- Guerra, Jose M. Gerardo-Giorda, Luca Cardiac ablation Computer simulations Pulsed field ablation Electric field threshold Mathematical modeling Background: Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is a novel cardiac ablation technology based on irreversible electroporation (IRE). PFA computational models rely on identification of a lethal electric field threshold to predict the IRE area. However, the predicted lesion anisotropy ratios (width over depth) vary extensively among recent studies, and these discrepancies remain a subject of discussion. Objective: This work aims to evaluate the predicted lesion anisotropy ratios using a PFA computational model by applying it to an open-chest in vivo porcine model geometry. Methods: Six domestic swine underwent epicardial PFA applications using a previously described waveform protocol. Animals were killed at least 3 hours after the last ablation, and lesions were assessed using triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Numeric simulations were performed on a segmented and meshed porcine thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan, mimicking the open-chest experimental setup. Results: The maximum width of all simulated lesions was observed at the epicardial surface. The anisotropy ratios (AR) of the experimental lesions were smaller than the simulated ones (AR experimental vs simulated, 1.0-1.7 vs 2-2.7; Q1-Q3 quartiles). Increasing the peak voltage resulted in larger lesions; however, the computational model clearly underestimated the increase in lesion depth compared with the experimental data. Conclusion: Our computational model shows that a single lethal electric field threshold is insufficient to accurately predict both lesion depth and width in cardiac PFA. Our study suggests that for the given PFA waveforms, a threshold between 270 and 500 V/cm provides satisfactory lesion depth estimations, and a higher threshold between 790 and 1000 V/cm better captures the lesion width. A.P and L.GG acknowledge the partial support of the State of Upper Austria. The research was funded in part by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) P35374N. For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC-BY public copyright license to any Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version arising from this submission. A.P acknowledges the FFG Bridge grant PFA-Mod. This work was partially supported by project (PID2019-110120RBI00 /AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033) from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the State Research Agency of the Spanish government. This work was also partially supported by project ISCIII DTS20-00111 (Instituto de Salud Carlos III and cofunded by FEDER). This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 892393 (TACAIRE). Elsevier https://hdl.handle.net/10230/72833 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hroo.2025.02.014
spellingShingle Is a single lethal electric field threshold sufficient to characterize the lesion size in computational modeling of cardiac pulsed-field ablation?
Petras, Argyrios
Cardiac ablation
Computer simulations
Pulsed field ablation
Electric field threshold
Mathematical modeling
status_str publishedVersion
title Is a single lethal electric field threshold sufficient to characterize the lesion size in computational modeling of cardiac pulsed-field ablation?
title_full Is a single lethal electric field threshold sufficient to characterize the lesion size in computational modeling of cardiac pulsed-field ablation?
title_fullStr Is a single lethal electric field threshold sufficient to characterize the lesion size in computational modeling of cardiac pulsed-field ablation?
title_full_unstemmed Is a single lethal electric field threshold sufficient to characterize the lesion size in computational modeling of cardiac pulsed-field ablation?
title_short Is a single lethal electric field threshold sufficient to characterize the lesion size in computational modeling of cardiac pulsed-field ablation?
title_sort Is a single lethal electric field threshold sufficient to characterize the lesion size in computational modeling of cardiac pulsed-field ablation?
topic Cardiac ablation
Computer simulations
Pulsed field ablation
Electric field threshold
Mathematical modeling
topic_facet Cardiac ablation
Computer simulations
Pulsed field ablation
Electric field threshold
Mathematical modeling
url https://hdl.handle.net/10230/72833
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hroo.2025.02.014