Thermal Mapping, via Liquid Crystals, of the Temperature Field near a Heated Surgical Probe

This paper discusses the use of heat for producing clinical lesions in tissue and presents the design and analysis of a resistively heated surgical probe. The probe surface temperature is accurately maintained and controlled by using a Wheatstone bridge. The probe was embedded in a clear agar–water test medium, and the temperature field generated by the probe was measured with liquid crystals, a material that provides a visual display of certain isotherms. Experimental results compare within approximately 10 percent of a two-dimensional numerical solution. A one-dimensional theoretical model is also developed which examines the influence of blood flow on the temperature field.