Irreversible electroporation ablation with bipolar electrodes: ultrasound findings of ablation zones
Abstract
Background
This study aimed to explore the ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging characteristics and dimensions of ablation lesions after irreversible electroporation of the swine liver and to determine which imaging modality is more suitable for post-procedural follow-up by correlating imaging findings with histopathology.
Materials and methods
Irreversible electroporation procedures were conducted on three swine with single bipolar electrodes. All procedures were carried out after laparotomy. Twenty-four ablation zones were created under ultrasound guidance. Ultrasound and CEUS evaluations were performed immediately and 48 h after irreversible electroporation. Liver specimens were harvested 48 h after irreversible electroporation for histopathological analysis.
Results
The ablation area appeared as a hypoechoic, well-defined lesion on ultrasound and showed no enhancement on CEUS immediately after irreversible electroporation. At 48 h, the ablation zone appeared as an inhomogeneous hyperechoic area with a hyperechoic margin and blurred boundaries on ultrasound. CEUS clearly delineated the boundary of the ablation zone and demonstrated centripetal enhancement. The dimensions of the ablation area measured on CEUS 48 h after irreversible electroporation showed the highest correlation with the pathologic ablation zone size (length: r = 0.909, width: r = 0.942, p < 0.001), whereas ultrasound measurements showed the lowest correlation (length: r = 0.676, width: r = 0.842, p < 0.001).
Conclusions
Compared with conventional ultrasound, CEUS can accurately measure the dimension of the ablation area, especially 48 h after irreversible electroporation.
© 2026 Linyu Zhou, Qiang Chen, Ju Li, Chengyue Zhang, Shengyong Yin, Min Xu, Tian’an Jiang, published by Association of Radiology and Oncology
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.