Ricerc@Sapienza

OBJECTIVE: Interventional oncology (IO) is an emergent field in interventional radiology that can be considered the fourth pillar of oncology. Interventional oncology has the unique capability to treat malignancy in a loco-regional fashion enabling curative (percutaneous ablation), disease stabilization (intra-arterial chemo/radioembolization), and palliative treatment (such as biliary drainage or nephrostomy). The whole arsenal of IO acts by inducing necrosis and apoptosis, with interactions with the tumour's microenvironment potentially crucial for oncological outcomes.

Purpose: Developing a predictive model of the shrinkage of liver tissues in microwave ablation.

This paper compares an in-house dielectric properties measurement system based on the "Stuchly and Stuchly" method with the broadly commercialised Keysight setup and existing literature for the characterization of ablated and non-ablated liver tissue. Measurements were carried out on ex-vivo ovine liver tissue across the frequency range 0.5 - 4.5 GHz. Results show that the in-house "Stuchly Stuchly" method using calibration standards such as deionised water, methanol and open-circuit conditions, offers comparable performance to the proprietary Keysight system.