FINITE ELEMENT MODELING OF THE ENDOCARDIAL RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION

In this study a three-dimensional finite element model for endocardial radiofrequency ablation is presented. We investigated temperature distribution through the heart during ablation for three cases: 1) when blood flow through the coronary artery exists, 2) when the blood flow through the coronary artery is zero, and 3) when there is no blood in the coronary artery (we modeled air zero flow in the coronary artery). The effects of parameters, such as blood flow rate and applied power (voltage on the electrode) are investigated. It is shown that blood flow in the coronary artery does not have significant influence on the temperature distribution. Also we found that desirable temperature distribution ranges between 50° and 100° C can be achieved for the applied constant voltage of 15V.