Background and objective: A newly developed radio-frequency monopolar needle electrode was evaluated in vitro on porcine tongues.
Patients and methods: Porcine tongues with different tissue temperatures (20+/-1) degrees C and (32+/-2) degrees C were coagulated for 90 s. In a second step, 23 coagulations at 7 W were applied (34+/-2) degrees C.
Results: The volume of the lesion correlated well with increasing temperature. In step two, the mean energy was 238 J and the mean volume of the lesion was 507 mm(3) (100+/-15)%. Prolonged energy application did not correlate with a larger volume of the lesion.
Conclusion: The new radio-frequency needle electrode can reduce tongue volume in a precise and controlled manner (SD+/-15%).