Diagnostic ultrasound for two-dimensional temperature mapping in hyperthermia and laser-induced tissue coagulation

Abstract

Laser-induced tissue heating and coagulation is a common technique in minimally invasive surgery to achieve localized thermal tissue damage. Precision and efficiency of treatment could be improved markedly by noninvasive spatio-temporal temperature monitoring. A method for two-dimensional mapping of tissue temperature as well as tissue structural changes has been investigated in vitro. The algorithms are based on the temperature dependence of speed of sound and a combination of additional acoustical parameters in order to consider the expansion of the heated volume, creation of gas bubbles, and carbonization. An approach for motion compensation, as it is necessary for clinical application, will be described in short.