HIFU System Electronic Mechanical Steering Large Volume Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) systems using magnetic resonance guidance face limitations in heating large volumes continuously and conformally, especially in mild hyperthermia applications, due to small target volume size, non-conformal heating shapes, and heterogeneous tissue properties, which restrict their clinical application.
Innovation Solution
A method combining electronic and mechanical steering to partition treatment volumes into subvolumes, using a decision tree algorithm for real-time adaptation and multi-baseline thermometry for temperature feedback, enabling voxel/region-based feedback control to achieve conformal and homogeneous heating across large volumes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If electronic steering is used to focus ultrasound within a local range, then focusing precision is improved, but the treatable target volume is limited to a small electronic focusing zone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the large target volume into multiple smaller sub-volumes or local regions. Each sub-volume can be treated with electronic steering while the transducer is repositioned mechanically to different locations. This segmentation allows the system to maintain precise electronic focusing within each local region while collectively treating a much larger overall target volume through systematic traversal of multiple sub-regions.
2Volume of stationary object
If the transducer is repositioned mechanically to cover large target regions, then treatable volume is improved, but treatment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary segmentation of the target volume into sub-volumes and pre-plans the mechanical repositioning sequence before treatment begins. By pre-defining the treatment path and organizing the target into manageable sub-regions, the system minimizes unnecessary transducer movements and optimizes the treatment sequence, thereby reducing overall treatment time while still covering the entire large target volume.
3Volume of stationary object
If HIFU is applied to large volumes, then treatable target size is improved, but temperature homogeneity deteriorates due to heterogeneous tissue properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality control by treating each segmented sub-volume independently with optimized ultrasound parameters. The system can adjust focusing, power, and exposure time for each local region based on its specific tissue characteristics, allowing temperature homogeneity to be maintained within each sub-volume while collectively treating a large heterogeneous target volume.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides for a medical instrument (200) comprising a magnetic resonance imaging system (202) and a high-intensity focused ultrasound system (204) with an electronically controllable and a mechanically controllable focus. Execution of instructions by a processor (244) controlling the instrument cause the processor to: receive (100) a target zone (240, 264) descriptive of a zone within the subject; divide (102) the target zone into multiple sub-zones (416, 418, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430, 432, 434); determine (104) a sequence (272) for moving the transducer position to each of the multiple sub-zones; determine (106) a selected sub-zone selected from the multiple sub-zones using the sequence; repeatedly control (108) the mechanical positioning system to move the transducer to the transducer position of the selected sub-zone; repeatedly acquire (110) the magnetic resonance thermometry data; repeatedly determine (112) a temperature property map (274); repeatedly heat (114) the regions independently to the target temperature by controlling the electronically controlled focus with a temperature feedback algorithm (286); and repeatedly change (116) the selected sub-zone using the sequence.