Catheter electrode studies for ultra-short high-field pulses

Ultra-short (less than 30 ns) high-field (greater than 1.5 megavolt per meter (MV/m)) pulses have been shown to induce apoptosis in cultured cancer-derived cells. A potential clinical application of this phenomenon is to treat malignant and diseased tissues. This paper presents preliminary research on development and design of thin, flexible catheter electrodes to deliver nanosecond pulses for minimally invasive in vivo treatment applications. An evaluation of commercially available microwave cables and RF ablation catheters for compatibility with ultra-short pulse cancer therapy is presented. The results show that RF ablation catheters distort high frequency components of nanosecond pulses. Preliminary results of a prototype micro-coaxial catheter electrode for nanosecond pulse delivery applications are presented.