Temperature Profiles During Cryolipolysis

Cryolipolysis is a noninvasive clinical procedure for the local reduction of adipose tissue. Paddles as cold as ~10 °C are placed in good thermal contact the epidermis. The goal is to cool the subcutaneous adipose tissue to ~10 °C, which induces apoptosis and an inflammatory response in the adipocytes. The dermis is, of course, cooler than the adipocytes, but the triglyceride in the adipocytes are thought to crystalize, causing apoptosis. The clinical procedure have been developed empirically. A mathematical model could aid in understanding the mechanisms of response and improving the design of the procedure. Here, the Pennes equation is used to model the temperature of the tissue during cooling. The two parameters identified are the thermal diffusivity of the tissue and a blood perfusion parameter, which also gives the characteristic length. Green's functions are used to solve the Pennes equation, which simplifies to a transient fin equation.

Solving bio-heat transfer multi-layer equation using Green’s Functions method

An analytical method using Green’s Functions for obtaining solutions in bio-heat transfer problems, modeled by Pennes’ Equation, is presented. Mathematical background on how treating Pennes’ equation and its μ2T term is shown, and two contributions to the classical numbering system in heat conduction are proposed: inclusion of terms to specify the presence of the fin term, μ2T, and identify the biological heat transfer problem. The presentation of the solution is made for a general multi-layer domain, deriving and showing general approaches and Green’s Functions for such n number of layers. Numerical examples are presented to simplify human skin as a two-layer domain: dermis and epidermis, accounting metabolism as a heat source, and blood perfusion only at the dermis. Time-independent summations in the series-solution are written in closed forms, leading to better convergence along the boundaries. Details on obtaining the two-layer solution and its eigenvalues are presented for boundary conditions of prescribed temperature inside the body and convection at the surface, such as its intrinsic verification.

Mathematical Modeling of Breast Tumor Destruction Using Fast Heating during Radiofrequency Ablation

In oncology, hyperthermia is understood as a planned, controlled technique of heating cancerous changes in order to destroy their cells or stop their growth. In clinical practice, hyperthermia is used in combination with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunological therapy. During the hyperthermia, the tissue is typically exposed to a temperature in the range of 40–45 °C, the exception is thermoablation, during which the temperatures reach much higher values. Thermoablation is characterized by the use of high temperatures up to 90 °C. The electrode using the radiofrequency is inserted into the central area of the tumor. Interstitial thermoablation is used to treat, among others, breast and brain cancer. The therapy consists of inducing coagulation necrosis in an area that is heated to very high temperatures. Mathematical modeling is based on the use of a coupled thermo-electric model, in which the electric field is described by means of the Laplace equation, while the temperature field is based on the Pennes equation. Coupling occurs at the level of the additional source function in the Pennes equation. The temperature field obtained in this way makes it possible to calculate the Arrhenius integral as a determinant of the destruction of biological tissue. As a result of numerical calculations regarding the temperature field and the Arrhenius integral, it can be concluded that, with the help of numerical tools and mathematical modeling, one can simulate the process of destroying cancerous tissue.

Trefftz method in solving the pennes’ and single-phase-lag heat conduction problems with perfusion in the skin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to derive the Trefftz functions (T-functions) for the Pennes’ equation and for the single-phase-lag (SPL) model (hyperbolic equation) with perfusion and then comparing field of temperature in a flat slab made of skin in the case when perfusion is taken into account, with the situation when a Fourier model is considered. When considering the process of heat conduction in the skin, one needs to take into account the average values of its thermal properties. When in biological bodies relaxation time is of the order of 20 s, the thermal wave propagation appears. The initial-boundary problems for Pennes’ model and SPL with perfusion model are considered to investigate the effect of the finite velocity of heat in the skin, perfusion and thickness of the slab on the rate of the thermal wave attenuation. As a reference model, the solution of the classic Fourier heat transfer equation for the considered problems is calculated. A heat flux has direction perpendicular to the surface of skin, considered as a flat slab. Therefore, the equations depend only on time and one spatial variable. Design/methodology/approach First of all the T-functions for the Pennes’ equation and for the SPL model with perfusion are derived. Then, an approximate solutions of the problems are expressed in the form of a linear combination of the T-functions. The T-functions satisfy the equation modeling the problem under consideration. Therefore, approximating a solution of a problem with a linear combination of n T-functions one obtains a function that satisfies the equation. The unknown coefficients of the linear combination are obtained as a result of minimization of the functional that describes an inaccuracy of satisfying the initial and boundary conditions in a mean-square sense. Findings The sets of T-functions for the Pennes’ equation and for the SPL model with perfusion are derived. An infinite set of these functions is a complete set of functions and stands for a base functions layout for the space of solutions for the equation used to generate them. Then, an approximate solutions of the initial-boundary problem have been found and compared to find out the effect of finite velocity of heat in the skin, perfusion and thickness of the slab on the rate of the thermal wave attenuation. Research limitations/implications The methods used in the literature to find an approximate solution of any bioheat transfer problems are more complicated than the one used in the presented paper. However, it should be pointed out that there is some limitation concerning the T-function method, namely, the greater number of T-function is used, the greater condition number becomes. This limitation usually can be overcome using symbolic calculations or conducting calculations with a large number of significant digits. Originality/value The T-functions for the Pennes’ equation and for the SPL equation with perfusion have been reported in this paper for the first time. In the literature, the T-functions are known for other linear partial differential equations (e.g. harmonic functions for Laplace equation), but for the first time they have been derived for the two aforementioned equations. The results are discussed with respect to practical applications.