Limitations
The authors recognize several important limitations in this study.
First, as with all preclinical studies, there are anatomic and
physiologic differences between humans and quadrupeds that may limit
translation of the study results. Second, the tissue specificity of PFA
can be altered with even small changes in the delivery parameters,
including waveform composition and catheter electrode design and
configuration. Therefore, the results described herein cannot be assumed
to be applicable to other PFA systems. Third, the esophageal deviation
model proposed and used in this study represents merely an approximation
of clinical conditions and scenarios. Moreover, the lack of endoscopic
examination of the studied animals could have limited our assessment of
reversible esophageal injury at earlier time points. Finally, the
preclinical findings reported in this study require validation through
clinical studies prior to adoption for clinical use.