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Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Guided Focused Ultrasound Positioning System for Preclinical Studies in Small Animals
Author(s) -
Drakos Theoharis,
Giannakou Marinos,
Menikou Georgios,
Damianou Christakis
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.1002/jum.15514
Subject(s) - imaging phantom , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , preclinical research , positioning system , biomedical engineering , ultrasound , transducer , nuclear medicine , nuclear magnetic resonance , radiology , medical physics , acoustics , physics , node (physics)
Objectives A positioning device compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used for preclinical studies in small animals was developed that fits in MRI scanners up to 7 T. The positioning device was designed with two computer‐controlled linear stages. Methods The positioning device was evaluated in an agar‐based phantom, which mimics soft tissues, and in a rabbit. Experiments with this positioning device were performed in an MRI system using the agar‐based phantom. The transducer used had a diameter of 50 mm, operated at 0.5 MHz, and focused energy at 60 mm. Results Magnetic resonance thermometry was used to assess the functionality of the device, which showed adequate deposition of thermal energy and sufficient positional accuracy in all axes. Conclusions The proposed system fits in MRI scanners up to 7 T. Because of the size of the positioning device, at the moment, it can be used to perform preclinical studies on small animals such as mice, rats, and rabbits.