Premium
Feasibility of transrib focused ultrasound thermal ablation for liver tumors using a spherically curved 2D array: A numerical study
Author(s) -
Liu HaoLi,
Chang Hsu,
Chen WenShiang,
Shih TzuChing,
Hsiao JongKai,
Lin WinLi
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.2759888
Subject(s) - ultrasound , ablation , ultrasound energy , thermal ablation , rib cage , ultrasonic sensor , overheating (electricity) , radiation treatment planning , phased array , biomedical engineering , liver tumor , high intensity focused ultrasound , materials science , radiology , computer science , medicine , radiation therapy , physics , telecommunications , anatomy , quantum mechanics , antenna (radio) , cancer research , hepatocellular carcinoma
The use of focused ultrasound thermal ablation to treat hepatocarcinoma and other liver tumors produces promising clinical results. However, one of the major drawbacks is the high absorption of ultrasonic energy by the rib, making partial rib removal necessary in many cases. This study numerically investigated the feasibility of using a spherical ultrasound phased array for transrib liver‐tumor thermal ablation. An independently array‐element activitation scheme, which switches off the transducer elements obstructed by the ribs based on feedback anatomical medical imaging, was proposed to reduce the rib‐overheating problem. The numerical results showed that the proposed treatment planning strategy can effectively reduce the specific energy absorbed by the rib while maintaining the energy at the target position, which both reduces the rib‐overheating problem and increases the possibility of treating a target lesion under an intact rib. The analysis also demonstrated that the target position and the ultrasound frequency play key roles in the treatment. Patients with diverse characteristics were also tested to show the generality of the proposed strategy. The proposed treatment planning strategy also provides useful information for evaluating the treatment effectiveness prior to clinically performing transrib ultrasound liver‐tumor thermal ablation.