Irreversible Electroporation Ablation Against Subcutaneously Implanted Vx(2)Tumors In Rabbits: Findings Of Shearwave Ultrasound Elastography

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate stiffness changes of rabbit subcutaneous VX(2)tumors before and after irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablationby shearwave ultrasound elastography (SWE). Methods IRE was performed on 20 subcutaneously implanted VX(2)tumors in rabbits (R-SIVX2). Tumor stiffness was measured by SWE at different time points (before IRE,120minutes after IRE,7 days after IRE and 14 days after IRE). Results Before IRE, the mean stiffness (E-mean) of tumors was (10.45 +/- 1.07) KPa. 120 minutes after I RE, the E(mean)of tumors obviously rose to (70.53 +/- 9.87) KPa. 7 days after IRE, the E(mean)of tumors decreased to (40.22 +/- 9.01) KPa. 14 days after IRE, the E(mean)of tumors was (15.17 +/- 1.00) KPa. A clear boundary was observed between the ablation area and the normal tissues in the pathological results. Conclusions The stiffness of the VX(2)tumors experienced a first rise process and tend to be normal in the procedure of IRE. SWE could provide tissue stiffness information of different IRE ablation period as a non-invasive method.