Comparison of power deposition patterns produced by microwave and radio frequency cardiac ablation catheters

Transcatheter microwave and radio frequency (RF) electrodes are used for the ablative treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. The authors compare the power deposition patterns of microwave antennas and RF electrodes in saline phantoms of biological material. The decrease in power deposition as a function of distance away from the electrode is nearly exponential for RF and is considerably steeper than microwave antennas. These results suggest that microwave antennas are capable of heating a larger volume and thus creating a greater lesion than RF