Bioimpedance Sensing and Ablation Needles for Image-Guided Therapy

Sensing and ablation needles and catheter instruments combined with multimodal imaging, navigation and AI-assisted diagnosis have been increasingly utilised by interventional radiologists for image-guided therapy, emerging as an innovative tool for both diagnosis and treatment. This paper reviews the significant advancements in the field over the past decade, focusing on the development and refinement of both bioimpedance sensing needles and thermal ablation needles. Bioimpedance sensing needles differentiate pathological tissues by measuring impedance variations in biological tissues, offering a less invasive diagnostic approach. Thermal ablation needles, on the other hand, employ Radio Frequency (RF) techniques or Electrolytic Ablation (EA) to effectively target and treat lesions. This review covers the evolution of these needles, including advancements in materials, novel sensor technologies, impedance analysis methods, ablation catheter powering techniques, and needle design. It also provides insights into the needle structure, fabrication methods, and testing outcomes of these advanced sensing and ablation needles. Additionally, the paper presents an analysis of bioimpedance data across various pathological tissues and discusses innovative impedance analysis methodologies. The review concludes by presenting the current challenges in the field and discussing directions for future research, thereby providing an overview of the state-of-the-art in electronic technology for medical diagnosis and treatment needles.