Microwave Ablation: A Potential Minimally Invasive Solution for Gastric Motility Disorders

Abstract

Many gastric motility disorders, including gastroparesis, are caused by dysrhythmias occurring in the stomach musculature. Microwave ablation (MWA) offers potential as a minimally invasive endoscopic approach for targeted thermal destruction of the gastric musculature to disrupt irregular electrical rhythm within the stomach wall. An experimental study was conducted in a gel phantom to analyze the transient heating profile of a water-cooled 2.45 GHz MWA antenna enclosed within a PET balloon. Fiber-optic temperature sensors were used to collect temperature data at distances 1.5–7.5 mm from the balloon surface. Ablation profiles were also characterized in ex vivo porcine skeletal muscle. With 20 W applied power and cooling water temperature of 5 °C, temperature measured at 3.5 mm from the balloon surface exceeded the temperature at 1.5 mm from the balloon surface by 3 °C. In ex vivo tissue, for 40 W applied power, tissue within 2 mm of the balloon surface remained unablated. With adequate cooling and power, it may be feasible to thermally spare tissue within 2 mm of the MWA balloon applicator.

Applications of Microwaves in Medicine

“…2.45-GHz microwave ablation has been used in minimally invasive endoscopic procedures to treat gastric motility disorders such as gastroparesis. Ablation of GI tissues disrupts irregular electrical activities on the stomach wall that produce abnormal motility and cause gastroparesis symptoms [532].…”