Further observations on tissue heating patterns using an invasive ground probe with radiofrequency hyperthermia system.
Critical modifications have been made in the grounded elements of a previously reported hybrid radiofrequency heating system with inductive, capacitive, and grounded elements designed for deep focal heating. These modifications facilitate introduction of the ground probe, the single invasive element of the system, into animals and humans. The modified grounded elements also enable monitoring and optimization of ground point current, thereby improving control of heating rate, and greatly increase the volume of tissue that can be heated using a single invasive grounding element, embedded in a lossy dielectric field in the near field of the radiofrequency hyperthermia system.