Heating distribution of multipolar radiofrequency ablation catheters

Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation therapy has been recognized as an effective treatment for a variety of cardiac arrhythmias. In fact, for several arrhythmias, including Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome, this technique is greater than 95% curative. However, when applied for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia or atrial fibrillation, RF catheter ablation has been far less successful. It is believed that the small lesions produced by current RF catheters are not sufficient to reliably treat these disorders. This study presents experimental measurements of heating patterns of commercially available multipolar RF ablation catheters. Three different electrode configurations were investigated. Results revealed significant differences in the catheter specific absorption rate pattern across the different configurations. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are underway to investigate these effects on actual lesion formation.