Numerical prediction of freezing fronts in cryosurgery: Comparison with experimental results

Abstract

Recent developments in scientific computing now allow to consider realistic applications of numerical modelling to medicine. In this work, a numerical method is presented for the simulation of phase change occurring in cryosurgery applications. The ultimate goal of these simulations is to accurately predict the freezing front position and the thermal history inside the ice ball which is essential to determine if cancerous cells have been completely destroyed. A semi-phase field formulation including blood flow considerations is employed for the simulations. Numerical results are enhanced by the introduction of an anisotropic remeshing strategy. The numerical procedure is validated by comparing the predictions of the model with experimental results.

Keywords:

• Phase change
• Finite element method
• Anisotropic mesh adaptation
• Cryosurgery

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support of NSERC project SKALPEL-ITC.