Irreversible Electroporation

Non-thermal irreversible electroporation is a new minimally invasive surgical p- cedure with unique molecular selectivity attributes – in fact it may be considered the first clinical molecular surgery procedure. Non-thermal irreversible electro- ration is a molecular selective mode of cell ablation that employs brief electrical fields to produce nanoscale defects in the cell membrane, which can lead to cell death, without an effect on any of the other tissue molecules. The electrical fields can be produced through contact by insertion of electrode needles around the undesirable tissue and non-invasively by electromagnetic induction. This new - dition to the medical armamentarium requires the active involvement and is of interest to clinical physicians, medical researchers, mechanical engineers, che- cal engineers, electrical engineers, instrumentation designers, medical companies and many other fields and disciplines that were never exposed in their training to irreversible electroporation or to a similar concept. This edited book is designed to be a comprehensive introduction to the field of irreversible electroporation to those that were not exposed or trained in the field before and can also serve as a reference manual. Irreversible electroporation is broad and interdisciplinary. Therefore, we have made an attempt to cover every one of the various aspects of the field from an introductory basic level to state of the art.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the clinical use of irreversible electroporation (IRE) – better known by its commercial name, NanoKnife – which is one of the most exciting new needle-guided cancer treatments. The coverage includes the history of IRE, general technique, preclinical research, applications in clinical practice and early clinical results, and future perspectives. Contraindications, treatment planning, potential complications, follow-up imaging, and other practical aspects are fully discussed, with highlighting of useful tips and tricks. Through the delivery of short but highly intense electrical pulses, IRE results in tumor cell membrane permeabilization, causing cells to go into apoptosis. The minimally invasive nature of IRE, combined with the prospect of completely eradicating tumors while preserving delicate structures in the ablation zone, makes IRE the object of worldwide clinical research. This book will be of value for practitioners and trainees in interventional and diagnostic radiology, surgery, medical oncology, HPB and gastroenterology, urology, and radiation oncology.

Electroporation is the forefront in tumor ablation. This book presents the basic principles and clinical applications of electroporation, including the latest research results and patient data. A comprehensive approach to the basic science behind the development of this ground-breaking technique and its introduction into clinical practice, the book discusses the entire spectrum of currently available reversible treatments, the emerging irreversible applications, and their impact on patient care. Clinical Aspects of Electroporation is the first book intended for clinicians on this extremely important and rapidly developing field.

This is the first edited collection on veterinary applications of electroporation. Written by an international team of experts, this book presents worldwide emerging therapy options for cancer treatments in veterinary oncology practice. Electroporation offers a precision tool to target cancer cells without destroying surrounding tissue structures. The opening of tumor cell membranes facilitates local control of solid tumors either through the delivery of chemotherapeutics or by direct ablation of tissues using electric fields. In addition, transfer of gene-based products into the cancer cells can be used for genetic vaccination to achieve systemic responses and cancer control. Readers will discover valuable reference texts for practitioner education, including chapters on electrodes for unique anatomical access and treatment planning for deep-seated tumors, different immunotherapy applications with gene electrotransfer, calcium electroporation, irreversible electroporation applications and combinations with other common treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Therapy options with electroporation are gaining interest around the world in both human and veterinary oncology, making this book valuable for oncologists, surgeons, primary care veterinarians, residents, interns and students at veterinary schools, where teaching of Electrochemotherapy will become part of the curriculum. Featuring cross-disciplinary authorship, this work further contributes to advances in comparative medicine and translation research in support of the One Health concept.

This major reference work is a one-shot knowledge base on electroporation and the use of pulsed electric fields of high intensity and their use in biology, medicine, biotechnology, and food and environmental technologies. The Handbook offers a widespread and well-structured compilation of 156 chapters ranging from the foundations to applications in industry and hospital. It is edited and written by most prominent researchers in the field. With regular updates and growing in its volume it is suitable for academic readers and researchers regardless of their disciplinary expertise, and will also be accessible to students and serious general readers. The Handbook's 276 authors have established scholarly credentials and come from a wide range of disciplines. This is crucially important in a highly interdisciplinary field of electroporation and the use of pulsed electric fields of high intensity and its applications in different fields from medicine, biology, food processing, agriculture, process engineering, energy and environment. An Editorial Board of distinguished scholars from across the world has selected and reviewed the various chapters to ensure the highest quality of this Handbook. The book was edited by an international team of Section Editors: P. Thomas Vernier, Boris Rubinsky, Juergen Kolb, Damijan Miklavcic, Marie-Pierre Rols, Javier Raso, Richard Heller, Gregor Serša, Dietrich Knorr, and Eugene Vorobiev.

Over the past three decades, the exploding number of new technologies and applications introduced in medical practice, often powered by advances in biosignal processing and biomedical imaging, created an amazing account of new possibilities for diagnosis and therapy, but also raised major questions of appropriateness and safety. The accelerated development in this field, alongside with the promotion of electronic health care solutions, is often on the basis of an uncontrolled diffusion and use of medical technology. The emergence and use of medical devices is multiplied rapidly and today there exist more than one million different products available on the world market. Despite the fact that the rising cost of health care, partly resulting from the new emerging technological applications, forms the most serious and urgent problem for many governments today, another important concern is that of patient safety and user protection, issues that should never be compromised and expelled from the Biomedical Engineering research practice agenda.

This updated text provides a concise yet comprehensive and state-of-the-art review of evolving techniques in the new and exciting subspecialty of interventional urology. Significant advances in imaging technologies, diagnostic tools, fusion navigation, and minimally invasive image-guided therapies such as focal ablative therapies have expanded the interventional urologists’ clinical toolkit over the past decade. Organized by organ system with subtopics covering imaging technologies, interventional techniques, recipes for successful practice, pitfalls to shorten the learning curves for new technologies, and clinical outcomes for the vast variety of interventional urologic procedures, this second edition includes many more medical images as well as helpful graphics and reference illustrations. The second edition of Interventional Urology serves as a valuable resource for clinicians, interventional urologists, interventional radiologists, interventional oncologists, urologic oncologists, as well as scientists, researchers, students, and residents with an interest in interventional urology.

"This book admirably covers prostate cancer. It is written in an easily digestible manner for non-experts and emphasizes the importance of a team approach to treatment of patients with this disease."--Doody's Reviews With an emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration and decision-making, this practical resource reflects the extraordinary advances in the treatment of prostate cancer during the past five years. Approximately thirty international, leading-edge investigators describe the most current evidence-based approaches to prostate cancer treatment. The book provides a comprehensive view of the entire spectrum of prostate cancer management from initial screening through novel and experimental treatments that have the potential for a major impact on practice. The book first reviews fundamental issues including epidemiology, screening, risk reduction, diagnosis and pathologic characterization, staging, and imaging. This includes strategies for improving the accuracy of PSA screening and an update on controversies surrounding the ISUP Modified Gleason Score. The book covers novel molecular and genotype profiling in prostate cancer, including morphometric and systems pathology. Detailed information is provided on radiographic imaging for diagnosis and staging. The treatment sections of the book correspond to the staging of disease. The treatment of localized disease addresses the range of multidisciplinary management options including a discussion of prostate cancer's impact on the quality of life. A detailed review of multimodal therapies (medical, surgical, and radiologic) addresses the treatment of localized advanced disease, and coverage of advanced metastatic prostate cancer reviews current management options including a range of promising novel and experimental agents. The book also discusses counseling the high-risk patient. Several chapters incorporate models of care delivery, patient navigation for multidisciplinary care, genomic and risk assessment, and comparative effects of research in treatment decision-making. The book is designed as a management text for all health care professionals who provide care for prostate cancer patients as well as patients, families, and advocates. Extensive references offer opportunities for additional study. Key Features: Delineates a practical, concise approach to multidisciplinary management of prostate cancer Provides a wide range of perspectives and expertise Written and edited by an international, multidisciplinary team of prostate cancer specialists Focuses on such key issues as special populations, screening controversies, patient counseling, and quality of life Includes discussion of important emerging topics such as gene profiling and targeted therapies and comparative effectiveness data