A method for focusing high intensity ultrasound through a rib cage that aims to minimize heating of the ribs whilst maintaining high intensities at the focus (or foci) is proposed and tested theoretically and experimentally. Two approaches, one based on geometric acoustics and the other accounting for diffraction effects associated with propagation through the rib cage, are investigated theoretically for idealized source conditions. It is shown that for an idealized radiator the diffraction approach provides a 23% gain in peak intensity and results in significantly less power losses on the ribs (1% versus 7.5% of the irradiated power) compared with the geometric one. A 2D 1-MHz phased array with 254 randomly distributed elements, tissue mimicking phantoms, and samples of porcine rib cages are used in experiments; the geometric approach is used to configure how the array is driven. Intensity distributions are measured in the plane of the ribs and in the focal plane using an infra-red camera. Theoretical and experimental results show that it is possible to provide adequate focusing through the ribs without overheating them for a single focus and several foci, including steering at ± 10–15 mm off and ± 20 mm along the array axis. Focus splitting due to the periodic spatial structure of ribs is demonstrated both in simulations and experiments; the parameters of splitting are quantified. The ability to produce thermal lesions with a split focal pattern in ex vivo porcine tissue placed beyond the rib phantom is also demonstrated. The results suggest that the method is potentially useful for clinical applications of HIFU for which the rib cage lies between the transducer(s) and the targeted tissue.

The effect of focus splitting after propagation of focused ultrasound through a rib cage is investigated theoretically. It is shown that the mechanism of this effect is caused by the interference of waves from two or more spatially separated sources, such as intercostal spaces. Analytical estimates of the parameters of splitting are obtained, i.e., the number of foci, their amplitudes, diameter, and the distance between them, depending on the transducer parameters, as well as the dimensions of the rib cage and position of ribs relative to the radiator. Various configurations of the relative positioning of ribs and radiator are considered; it is shown which of them are the most effective for real surgical operations.

No abstract

No abstract

The goal of the work was to demonstrate feasibility of HIFU tissue ablation through the rib cage using a high power 2D random phased array. A method to minimize heating ribs while maintaining high intensities at the focus of the array was proposed and tested theoretically and experimentally. A 2D 1-MHz phased array with 254 randomly distributed elements and a phantom of porcine rib cage were used in experiments. Intensity distributions were measured in the plane of the rib phantom and in the focal plane of the array using an infra-red camera. Theoretical and experimental results show that if the position and the shape of ribs are known it is possible to provide adequate focusing through the ribs without overheating them for a single focus, including steering at ± 10-15 mm off and ± 20 mm along the array axis. The results suggest that the method is potentially useful for clinical applications of HIFU for which the rib cage lies between the transducer and the targeted tissue.