Elastic modulus imaging (EMI) for visualizing thermal ablation zone: Initial experience in a porcine model

Radiofrequency (RF) ablation is the most common minimally invasive therapy used in the United States to treat primary (hepatocellular carcinoma) and metastatic liver cancers. The ability to accurately evaluate the thermal ablation zone while a patient is undergoing radiofrequency ablation may help reduce the high recurrence rates (as high as 55%) following radiofrequency ablation therapy. In this paper we demonstrate the feasibility of performing ultrasound-based elastic modulus imaging (EMI) to evaluate thermal ablation zones in a porcine model.