This section under development.
Ablation

Ablation
A form of alternating electrical current (AC)
Similar to current from a wall socket, but at a higher frequency (500,000 Hz vs. 60 Hz.)
RF was chosen for ablative therapy because it heats tissue and does not cause muscle stimulation
Heat generated through resistive (ohmic) heating
Because it offers little electrical resistance, minimal heat is generated in the tip electrode
Because the tissue offers the highest resistance, it is the tissue that is heated by RF current flow
Majority of heat generated within 1-2 mm of electrode/tissue interface
RF energy is delivered to both the tissue and the blood
Ratio of energy going into tissue vs. blood is determined by tip contact
No contact = no lesion
Lesion size determined both by how much heat is produced in the tissue (heat generation) and what happens to that heat (heat transfer)
Heat transfer is responsible for most of the lesion volume
Thermal conduction velocity determines lesion growth rate (lesion does not grow instantaneously)
Lesion is “mature” when heat generated within lesion is balanced by heat transferred away from lesion.