Variable frequency field conjugate lenses for ultrasoundhyperthermia

This paper describes variable frequency focusing with field conjugate lenses designed to mimic the multiple-focusing capabilities of large two-dimensional phased arrays. Simulations, experiments, and Fresnel diffraction analysis are used to show that both the size and the depth of a field conjugate lens focus may vary with frequency. Examples are given for field conjugate lens focusing with planar transducers, focused transducers, and ordinary refracting lenses     

Treatment planning for hyperthermia with ultrasound phased arrays

Treatment planning for ultrasound phased arrays suggests a strategy for hyperthermia therapy which satisfies therapeutic conditions at the target and spares other sensitive anatomical structures. To predict both desirable and harmful interactions between ultrasound and important structures such as the tumor, bones, and air pockets, a hyperthermia treatment planning system has been developed for ultrasound phased arrays. This collection of treatment planning routines consists of geometric and thermal optimization procedures specific to ultrasound phased arrays, where geometric treatment planning, combined with thermal treatment planning and three-dimensional visualization, provides essential information for the optimization of individual patient treatments. A patient image data set for cancer of the prostate, a difficult target situated in the midst of multiple pelvic bone obstructions, illustrates the geometric treatment planning algorithm and other tools for treatment analysis. The results indicate that the analysis of complex three-dimensional relationships between the applicator, anatomical structures, and incident fields provides an important means of predicting treatment limiting conditions, thereby allowing the hyperthermia applicator to electronically adapt to individual patients and specific sites     

The sector-vortex phased array: acoustic field synthesis for hyperthermia

A sector-vortex phased array capable of generating directly annular-shape foci is analyzed. By driving the sectors of the array with signals whose phase rotates M times around the circular track, annular foci with the same acoustic-signal-phase rotation are produced in the geometrical focal plane of the array. Because of this phase modulation around the focal annuli and the resulting high-spatial-frequency content, the produced acoustic fields are free from secondary foci both behind and in front of the focal plane. The diameter of the focal annuli can be increased by increasing the mode number M. By providing the array with multiple tracks, it is possible to get larger focal annuli than with a single track with the same mode number M. It is also possible to achieve some control of the power deposition patterns in the depth direction in this way. Using a dual track sector-vortex array with practical ranges of the aperture size and number of elements, acoustic power deposition patterns capable of heating the peripheral and central regions of a nonsuperficial tumor a few centimeters in diameter are obtained by computer simulation.     

A cylindrical-section ultrasound phased-array applicator for hyperthermia cancer therapy

A phased-array applicator geometry for deep localized hyperthermia is presented. The array consists of rectangular transducer elements forming a section of a cylinder that conforms to the body portals in the abdominal and pelvic regions. Focusing and scanning properties of the cylindrical-section array are investigated in homogeneous lossy media using appropriate computer simulations. The characteristic focus of this array is shown to be spatially limited in both transverse and longitudinal directions with intensity gain values suitable for deep hyperthermia applications. The ability of the cylindrical-section phased array to generate multiple foci using the field conjugation method is examined. The effect of the grating lobes on the power deposition pattern of the scanned field is shown to be minimal. Steady-state temperature distributions are simulated using a three-dimensional thermal model of the normal tissue layers surrounding a tumor of typical volume. The advantages and the limitations of this array configuration are discussed.     

柱面型声透镜设计及验证

介绍了声透镜波束形成的基本原理和分析方法,分析了柱面型声透镜的设计方法。用ZEMAX光学软件设计并用ABS塑料制作了一个组合声透镜,在水池中完成其多个参数的测量。在频率500kHz和20°的视场范围内该声透镜的角度分辨率为l°。实验结果表明,该声透镜系统的波束宽度、旁瓣高度和视场范围均达到了设计要求．并很好的验证了柱面型声透镜的聚焦性能。     

Finite element analysis of multilevel acoustic Fresnel lenses

Fresnel lenses have recently emerged as viable alternatives to conventional spherical lenses for focusing ultrasonic waves in acoustic microscopy systems. Although these lenses are relatively straightforward to manufacture, their bulk represents a major handicap. A remedy to this problem is to use multilevel acoustic Fresnel lenses. Multilevel lenses are surface relief structures that can be fabricated very precisely using existing VLSI semiconductor technology. However, accurate tools for designing lenses to achieve the desired efficiency and power specifications are not available. This paper presents a finite element study of multilevel acoustic Fresnel lenses. Results showing ultrasonic wave propagation through such surface relief structures together with the resulting diffraction profiles are presented. The high efficiency and focusing power of these lenses are also demonstrated. Simulation results together with a discussion on various multilevel lens design issues are presented. These results confirm the advantages of such lenses, and suggest that the finite element model can serve as a valuable tool for designing, simulating, and studying lens profiles prior to their fabrication     

Analysis of a multielement ultrasound hyperthermia applicator

An unfocused multielement ultrasound applicator was developed for hyperthermia treatment of superficial tumors. The applicator contains sixteen 3.8-cm(2) individually controllable elements on a 15.2-cm(2) piezoelectric ceramic plate. The acoustical power output of each element can be independently applied to facilitate uniform heating throughout the treatment area while minimizing undesired heating in normal tissues. The performance of the applicator was examined by measuring acoustical power output and beam profiles. The results of this analysis indicated that the applicator is capable of producing required therapeutic output levels with excellent localization and control of the power deposition.     

A general-purpose computer program for studying ultrasonic beampatterns generated with acoustic lenses

A 3-D computer model of a piston radiator with lenses for focusing and defocusing is presented. To achieve high-resolution imaging, the frequency of the transmitted and received ultrasound must be as high as 10 MHz. Current ultrasonic transducers produce an extremely narrow beam at these high frequencies and thus are not appropriate for imaging schemes such as synthetic-aperture focus techniques (SAFT). Consequently, a numerical analysis program has been developed to determine field intensity patterns that are radiated from ultrasonic transducers with lenses. Lens shapes are described and the field intensities are numerically predicted and compared with experimental results     

Multiple-focus ultrasound phased-array pattern synthesis: optimal driving-signal distributions for hyperthermia

A method for computing array element amplitude and phase distributions for direct synthesis of multiple-focus field patterns using ultrasonic phased arrays is shown to be capable of producing desired field levels at a set of control points in the treatment volume. The complex pressure at any of these control points can be chosen to produce the desired power deposition at the point, including reducing the field level to avoid potential hot spots, thus providing a powerful tool for hyperthermia treatment planning. The method also allows the complex excitation vector to be weighted to reduce the dynamic range of the driving signals without disturbing the relative field levels at the control points, allowing near maximum power transfer from the array into the treatment volume.     

Noninvasive thermometry assisted by a dual-function ultrasound transducer for mild hyperthermia

Mild hyperthermia is increasingly important for the activation of temperature-sensitive drug delivery vehicles. Noninvasive ultrasound thermometry based on a 2-D speckle tracking algorithm was examined in this study. Here, a commercial ultrasound scanner, a customized co-linear array transducer, and a controlling PC system were used to generate mild hyperthermia. Because the co-linear array transducer is capable of both therapy and imaging at widely separated frequencies, RF image frames were acquired during therapeutic insonation and then exported for off-line analysis. For in vivo studies in a mouse model, before temperature estimation, motion correction was applied between a reference RF frame and subsequent RF frames. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were examined; in the in vitro and in vivo studies, the average temperature error had a standard deviation of 0.7°C and 0.8°C, respectively. The application of motion correction improved the accuracy of temperature estimation, where the error range was 1.9 to 4.5°C without correction compared with 1.1 to 1.0°C following correction. This study demonstrates the feasibility of combining therapy and monitoring using a commercial system. In the future, real-time temperature estimation will be incorporated into this system.     

A real-time controller for sustaining thermally relevant acoustic cavitation during ultrasound therapy

A novel method for sustaining inertial cavitation during high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) exposure in an agar-based tissue-mimicking material is presented. Inertial cavitation occurs during HIFU therapy when the local rarefaction pressure exceeds the inertial cavitation threshold of the insonated medium, and is characterized by broadband acoustic emissions which can be easily detected non-invasively using a passive cavitation detector (PCD). Under the right conditions, inertial cavitation has been previously shown to greatly enhance the rate of heat deposition by redistributing part of the energy carried at the fundamental HIFU frequency to higher frequencies, which are more readily absorbed by visco-elastic media such as soft tissue. However, in the absence of any cavitation control, inertial cavitation activity at the focus decays rapidly over a few seconds of exposure because of the combined effects of cavitation nuclei depletion, bubble dissolution, bubble-bubble interactions, increased vapor pressure caused by heating, and focal shielding caused by pre-focal bubble activity. The present work describes the design, validation, and testing of a real-time adaptive controller, with integrated passive localization capabilities, for sustaining inertial cavitation within the focal region of a HIFU transducer by modulation of the HIFU amplitude. Use of the controller in agar gel, originally at room temperature, has enabled therapeutically relevant temperatures in excess of 55°C to be maintained continuously in the focal region for more than 20 s using significantly less acoustic energy than is required to achieve the same temperature rise in the absence of cavitation control.     

Wideband spherically focused PVDF acoustic sources for calibration of ultrasound hydrophone probes

Several broadband sources have been developed for the purpose of calibrating hydrophones. The specific configuration described is intended for the calibration of hydrophones In a frequency range of 1 to 40 MHz. All devices used 25 /spl mu/m film of PVDF bonded to a matched backing. Two had radii of curvatures (ROC) of 25.4 and 127 mm with f numbers of 3.8 and 19, respectively. Their active element diameter was 0.28 in (6.60 mm). The active diameter of the third source used was 25 mm, and it had an ROC of 254 mm and an f number of 10. The use of a focused element minimized frequency-dependent diffraction effects, resulting in a smooth variation of acoustic pressure at the focus from 1 to 40 MHz. Also, using a focused PVDF source permitted calibrations above 20 MHz without resorting to harmonic generation via nonlinear propagation.     

Experimental evaluation of a prototype cylindrical section ultrasound hyperthermia phased-array applicator

A prototype 64-element, 75 degrees cylindrical-section ultrasonic phased-array hyperthermia applicator has been designed and constructed. The ability of this applicator to focus ultrasonic energy at its geometric focus is verified in a water medium. The array is then driven by excitation vectors obtained using the pseudoinverse pattern synthesis method to generate shifted-focus and multiple-focus field patterns. Experimental results of single and multiple-focus patterns at 500 kHz are given and are in good agreement with theory. The results indicate that the main beam in single-focus patterns is generally insensitive to errors in the phases and amplitudes of the particle velocities of the array elements. The effect of such errors is largely exhibited in the sidelobes which, for all practical purposes, remain at levels acceptable for hyperthermia. This is true for both the geometric focus and shifted foci.     

超声热疗无创测温中AR模型方法应用研究

研究基于超声功率谱的无创测温技术中AR滤波器对测温精度的影响。模拟了正常肝组织在超声换能器辐照下的散射回波信号,通过对加热前后组织回波信号的功率谱分析,使用AR模型计算频移,并反演温度分布。结果表明,当AR阶次为83～84、窗长为454～460时所反演的组织温度值与在频域求解非线性KZK方程和Pennes方程所得理论结果的偏差较小,约0.08oC。     

Computationally efficient algorithms for control of ultrasound phased-array hyperthermia applicators based on a pseudoinverse method

Computationally efficient incremental algorithms for application of the pseudoinverse method for ultrasound phased-array field pattern synthesis are discussed and shown to significantly reduce computing effort when more control points should be added to existing subsets of points previously manipulated. These algorithms avoid calculation of inverse matrices, a time-consuming job for microcomputers when the dimensions of the matrices are large. This technique can be used to recursively modify the heating patterns of a phased-array hyperthermia applicator in the clinic.     

A lens acoustic microscope with a two-dimensional ultrasound array

A lens acoustic microscope is proposed in which a two-dimensional high-frequency ultrasound array is used instead of a single converter. In this microscope, electronic scanning of the region of naturally occurring focus of the acoustic lens can be performed and the focus can be held electronically at different distances, including inside solid objects. It was demonstrated that the multielement microscope has potentially higher performance compared with a single-element scanning microscope and is not inferior in resolution power.     

Reducing inter-element acoustic crosstalk in capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers

The inter-element acoustic crosstalk problem in capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) arrays is discussed in this paper. A transfer function matrix approach was used to derive modified transmit waveforms on adjacent elements to reduce the apparent acoustic crosstalk. The significance of this is that this technique relies on programmable waveforms, so that it yields a reduced crosstalk effect with no additional fabrication complexity if the requisite programmable waveform transmit circuits are available. The crosstalk reduction achieved by this method also was examined in combination with conventional (physical separation-based) crosstalk reduction approaches. A CMUT transducer array structure was simulated in a two-dimensional (2-D) model using finite element analysis (FEA), and the crosstalk reduction method was tested for both small and large alternating current (AC) (ultrasonic) excitation conditions. A 25 dB crosstalk reduction was achieved for small AC excitation conditions in which approximately linear operation is encountered. When the AC excitation amplitude was large compared to the direct current (DC) bias, an "iterative harmonic cancellation" approach (also based on programmable waveform techniques) could be applied in combination with the crosstalk reduction method to minimize the inherently transmitted harmonics, and a similar crosstalk reduction effect of 25.5 dB was achieved. This method also can be combined with other structure-modification based crosstalk reduction approaches.