| Summary: | The use of high-frequency (HF) generators for HF surgical treatment of biological tissue has become an indispensable part of today's surgical applications of all kinds. Generally, HF alternating electric currents between 300 kHz and 1 MHz are used to induce hemostasis by heating at the cellular level. This effect can be attributed to Joule heating, in which a current dissipated conductor converts the electrical energy into thermal energy. However, sound evidence on the reliability and effectiveness of application-specific HF generator modes is not sufficiently available. Usually, the evidence takes place empirically by means of preclinical or clinical studies. Nevertheless, a corresponding empirical data collection is time- and cost-intensive. Therefore, physiological and statistical modeling provides the opportunity to relate tissue response to the applied electrical energy to obtain a prediction of the tissue reaction. In this contribution, we establish a monopolar coagulation model of an already well-known model approach based on Pennes bioheat equation. Additionally, the vaporization of tissue water at the water boiling point is considered. Furthermore, a variation of temperature-dependent tissue parameters was performed to analyze their impact on the model output. The simulation results demonstrate that the initial electrical conductivity has the greatest influence on the temperature distribution as well as on the time until the tissue temperature reached the boiling point of water. In contrast, the tissue water content has the least impact on the model output. Depending on the desired coagulation effect, HF power control as a function of electrical conductivity or its reciprocal, tissue resistance, must be added next in an improved model.
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