ABSTRACT
The application of diathermy and electrosurgery is based on the fact that with a radiofrequency current >10,000 cycles per second, stimulation of muscle and nerve does not occur (1).When two large (>100 cm2) electrodes of nearly equal size are used, the current is dispersed evenly within the intervening tissue, and only warm heat is produced (diathermy) (Fig. 1A). On the other hand, when one electrode is large and the other is small, the current is concentrated in the smaller electrode and produces a high concentration of heat, causing destruction of cells (electrosurgery) (Fig. 1B) (1).
