Apa Ludovica, Palmieri Mauro, Familiari Pietro, Rizzuto Emanuele, Del Prete Zaccaria
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Rome La Sapienza, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy.
Department of Human Neurosciences, Division of Neurosurgery, Policlinico Umberto I University Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 00157 Rome, Italy.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2025 Aug 4;12(8):842. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering12080842.
The aim of this work is to analyse the effectiveness of the medical use of the Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA) in microsurgical treatment of Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumors (IMSCTs), with a focus on the thermo-mechanical effects on neighbouring tissues to assess any potential damage. Indeed, CUSA emerges as an innovative solution, minimally invasive tumor excision technique, enabling controlled and focused operations. This study employs a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to simulate the vibratory and thermal interactions occurring during CUSA application. A computational model of a vertebral column segment affected by an IMSCT was developed and analysed using ANSYS 2024 software. The simulations examined strain distribution, heat generation, and temperature propagation within the biological tissues. The FEA results demonstrate that the vibratory-induced strain remains highly localised to the application site, and thermal effects, though measurable, do not exceed the critical safety threshold of 46 °C established in the literature. These findings suggest that CUSA can be safely used within defined operational parameters, provided that energy settings and exposure times are carefully managed to mitigate excessive thermal accumulation. These conclusions contribute to the understanding of the thermo-mechanical interactions in ultrasonic tumour resection and aim to assist medical professionals in optimising surgical protocols.
这项工作的目的是分析Cavitron超声手术吸引器（CUSA）在髓内脊髓肿瘤（IMSCTs）显微外科治疗中的有效性，重点关注对邻近组织的热机械效应，以评估任何潜在损伤。事实上，CUSA作为一种创新解决方案，是一种微创肿瘤切除技术，能够实现可控和聚焦手术。本研究采用有限元分析（FEA）来模拟CUSA应用过程中发生的振动和热相互作用。使用ANSYS 2024软件开发并分析了受IMSCT影响的脊柱节段的计算模型。模拟研究了生物组织内的应变分布、热量产生和温度传播。有限元分析结果表明，振动引起的应变高度局限于应用部位，热效应虽然可测量，但不超过文献中设定的46℃的临界安全阈值。这些发现表明，只要仔细管理能量设置和暴露时间以减轻过多的热量积累，CUSA就可以在规定的操作参数范围内安全使用。这些结论有助于理解超声肿瘤切除中的热机械相互作用，旨在帮助医学专业人员优化手术方案。
