Microwave hyperthermia induced by a phased interstitial antennaarray

An interstitial microwave antenna array for hyperthermia cancer treatment is investigated. The purpose is to generate both uniform and controlled nonuniform temperature distributions in biological tissue by modulating the phases of the signals applied to each antenna. The array has four antennas positioned on the corners of a 2 cm square. The distributions of absorbed power within the arrays are computed and then converted into temperature distributions through a heat conduction simulation. The temperature patterns over phantom muscle are presented in both the lateral plane (perpendicular to the antennas) and the axial plane (parallel to the antennas). It is found that by proper phase modulation of radiofrequency signals applied to each antenna, a uniform heating can be produced in the entire array volume     

A Predictive-Adaptive, Multipoint Feedback Controller for Local Heat Therapy of Solid Tumors

Uniform heating of tumor tissue to therapeutic temperatures without damaging surrounding normal tissue is required for optimal local heat therapy of cancer. This paper describes an algorithm for on-line computer control that will allow the therapist to minimize the standard deviation of measured intratumoral temperatures. The method is applicable to systems incorporating multiple surface and/or interstitial applicators delivering microwave, radiofrequency, or ultrasonic power and operating under control of a small computer. The essential element is a novel predictive-adaptive control algorithm that infers relevant thermal parameters from the responses of multiple temperature sensors as each of the power applicators is briefly turned off. Applied power and effective perfusion are estimated from transient slope changes of the temperature-time curves for each sensor. By substituting these values into a system of linear equations derived from the bio-heat transfer equation, the small computer can calculate the optimal allocation of power among the various applicators ("knob settings") to generate most uniform intratumoral temperature distribution with the desired mean, or minimum, tumor temperature.     

Practical induction heating coil designs for clinical hyperthermiawith ferromagnetic implants

Interstitial techniques for hyperthermia therapy of cancer continue to evolve in response to requirements for better localization and control over heating of deep seated tissues. Magnetic induction heating of ferromagnetic implants is one of several available techniques for producing interstitial hyperthermia, using thermal conduction to redistribute heat within an array of controlled temperature “hot sources.” This report describes seven induction heating coil designs that can be used for producing strong magnetic fields around ferromagnetic seed implants located in different sites in the body. The effect of coil design on the extent and uniformity of the magnetic field is characterized, and appropriate electrostatic shield designs for minimizing electric field coupling to the patient are described. Advantages and disadvantages of each coil type are discussed in terms of the radiated fields, coil efficiency, and ease of use, and appropriate applications are given for each design. This armamentarium of induction coils provides the ability to customize magnetic field distributions for improved coupling of energy into ferromagnetic implant arrays located at any depth or orientation in the body. Proper selection of heating coil configuration should simplify patient setup, improve the safety of patient treatments, and pave the way for future applications of interstitial heating in sites that were previously untreatable     

基于FPGA用于热疗的系统设计

FPGA系统用于热疗方面的原理是利用物理能量加热人体全身或局部,使某些组织温度上升到有效治疗温度,并维持一定时间,利用正常组织和肿瘤细胞对温度耐受能力的差异,达到既能使肿瘤细胞凋亡、又不损伤正常组织的治疗目的。实验表明,在42℃区域,温度差1℃就可以引起细胞存活率的成倍变化。因此,热疗中能否准确测温和精确控制温度是取得疗效的关键。文章主要针对热疗系统的温度测控进行研究,设计一种基于FPGA用于热疗系统中的温度控制系统。通过程序控制来实现热疗过程中肿瘤组织温度的动态实时监测与高精度智能控制,以较高的温度控制精度来保证热疗的疗效。     

Heating patterns generated by phase modulation of a hexagonal arrayof interstitial antennas

In this paper, we investigate an array of six interstitial microwave antennas used for hyperthermia cancer treatment. The purpose is to generate both uniform and controlled nonuniform heating patterns in biological tissue by phase modulating the signals applied to each antenna. The array consists of six antennas positioned on the corners of a hexagon. The distance between two diagonal antennas is 4 cm. The distributions of absorbed power per unit mass within the array are computed, and then converted into temperature distributions through a thermal conduction simulation. The SAR and temperature patterns are presented in both the lateral plane (perpendicular to the antennas) and the axial plane (parallel with the antennas). By proper phase modulation of microwave signals applied to each antenna, a uniform heating pattern can be produced within the entire array volume. Also, a peripheral heating pattern may be generated around the array; again, by using the proper phase modulation. The modulation schemes for generating both types of heating patterns are discussed.     

A thermal monitoring sheet with low influence from adjacent waterbolus for tissue surface thermometry during clinical hyperthermia

This paper presents a complete thermal analysis of a novel conformal surface thermometer design with directional sensitivity for real-time temperature monitoring during hyperthermia treatments of large superficial cancer. The thermal monitoring sheet (TMS) discussed in this paper consists of a 2-D array of fiberoptic sensors embedded between two layers of flexible, low-loss, and thermally conductive printed circuit board (PCB) film. Heat transfer across all interfaces from the tissue surface through multiple layers of insulating dielectrics surrounding the small buried temperature sensor and into an adjacent temperature-regulated water coupling bolus was studied using 3-D thermal simulation software. Theoretical analyses were carried out to identify the most effective differential TMS probe configuration possible with commercially available flexible PCB materials and to compare their thermal responses with omnidirectional probes commonly used in clinical hyperthermia. A TMS sensor design that employs 0.0508-mm Kapton MTB and 0.2032-mm Kapton HN flexible polyimide films is proposed for tissue surface thermometry with low influence from the adjacent waterbolus. Comparison of the thermal simulations with clinical probes indicates the new differential TMS probe design to outperform in terms of both transient response and steady-state accuracy in selectively reading the tissue surface temperature, while decreasing the overall thermal barrier of the probe between the coupling waterbolus and tissue surface.      

Multifrequency radiometric determination of temperature profiles ina lossy homogeneous phantom using a dual-mode antenna with integralwater bolus

In the treatment of cancer, microwave hyperthermia has been established as an efficient adjunctive procedure to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Wider acceptance of this method awaits schemes to measure volumetric temperatures noninvasively in human tissue for control of the heating process. This effort describes the design and performance of a new microstrip applicator intended for homogeneous heating of superficial tissue while at the same time monitoring temperature of the underlying tissue by noninvasive radiometric sensing of black-body radiation from the heated volume. Radiometric capabilities are assessed in terms of accuracy of up to six measured brightness temperatures applied in an inversion algorithm from which one-dimensional depth temperature profiles are generated. Based on radiometric signals recorded over the 1-4-GHz range, the temperature accuracy determined from statistical analysis of 200 realizations of the process is better than ±0.2°C to a depth of 5 cm in phantom. Aperture heating uniformity is assessed with electric field scans in a homogeneous muscle phantom. As long as sufficiently thin (< 5 mm) water boli are used, SAR distributions at 1-cm depth in phantom extends effectively just outside the aperture perimeter, making this microstrip antenna an excellent building block element of larger multi-antenna array applicators     

Model-predictive control of hyperthermia treatments

A model-predictive controller (MPC) of the thermal dose in hyperthermia cancer treatments has been developed and evaluated using simulations with one-point and one-dimensional models of a tumor. The developed controller is the first effort in: 1) the application of feedback control to pulsed, high-temperature hyperthermia treatments; 2) the direct control of the treatment thermal dose rather than the treatment temperatures; and 3) the application of MPC to hyperthermia treatments. Simulations were performed with different blood flow rates in the tumor and constraints on temperatures in normal tissues. The results demonstrate that 1) thermal dose can be controlled in the presence of plant-model mismatch and 2) constraints on the maximum allowable temperatures in normal tissue and/or the pulsed power magnitude can be directly incorporated into MPC and met while delivering the desired thermal dose to the tumor. For relatively high blood flow rates and low transducer surface intensities--factors that limit the range of temperature variations in the tumor, the linear MPC, obtained by piece-wise linearization of the dose-temperature relationship, provides an adequate performance. For large temperature variations, the development of nonlinear MPC is necessary.     

Optimal steady-state temperature distribution for a phased arrayhyperthermia system

A method is presented for the evaluation of optimal amplitude and phase excitations for the radiating elements of a phased array hyperthermia system, in order to achieve desired steady-state temperature distributions inside and outside of malignant tissues. Use is made of a detailed electromagnetic and thermal model of the heated tissue in order to predict the steady-state temperature at any point in tissue. Optimal excitations are obtained by minimizing the squared error between desired and model predicted temperatures inside the tumor volume, subject to the constraint that temperatures do not exceed an upper bound outside the tumor. The penalty function technique is used to solve the constrained optimization problem. Sequential unconstrained minima are obtained by a modified Newton method. Numerical results for a four element phased array hyperthermia system are presented     

Optimizing ultrasound focus distributions for hyperthermia

A method is described for generating ultrasound focus patterns for ultrasound hyperthermia treatment planning for steady state and transient hyperthermia. The solution for placement and intensity of ultrasound focus points is based on two types of temperature constraints: 1) equality constraints on the tumor boundary (temperature is held at maximum safe level), and 2) inequality constraints in the tumor interior (in a therapeutic range of temperatures). The method employs a simplex algorithm to solve a series of linear equations which approximate the heating distribution in tissue. Examples are given for field conjugate acoustic lens applicators capable of generating multiple foci simultaneously     

Impact of nonlinear heat transfer on temperature control inregional hyperthermia

We describe an optimization process specially designed for regional hyperthermia of deep-seated tumors in order to achieve desired steady-state temperature distributions. A nonlinear three-dimensional heat transfer model based on temperature-dependent blood perfusion is applied to predict the temperature. Using linearly implicit methods in time and adaptive multilevel finite elements in space, we are able to integrate efficiently the instationary nonlinear heat equation with high accuracy. Optimal heating is obtained by minimizing an integral objective function which measures the distance between desired and model predicted temperatures. A sequence of minima is calculated from successively improved constant-rate perfusion models employing a damped Newton method in an inner iteration. We compare temperature distributions for two individual patients calculated on coarse and fine spatial grids and present numerical results of optimizations for a Sigma 60 Applicator of the BSD 2000 Hyperthermia System.     

Design of RF needle applicators for optimum SAR distributions inirregularly shaped tumors

The impedance method has been used to obtain specific absorption rate (SAR) distributions for a model of a brain tumor for which the shape was determined from CT head scans. Different locations of 4, 5, or 6 needles were used to obtain optimum arrangements that gave minimum standard deviations (SDs) for the SARs in the volume of the tumor. Further work, presently underway, will develop the thermal model to obtain 3-D temperature distributions for the tumor and its surrounding volume to help design applicators giving tumor temperatures with minimum SDs. The procedure described should be applicable for treatment planning of thermotherapy for a number of tumors for which local hyperthermia by RF needle applicators has been found useful     

Optimal microwave source distributions for heating off-centertumors in spheres of high water content tissue

A surface distribution of electric dipoles can be used to represent a multielement microwave hyperthermia applicator for noninvasive heating of off-center targets within a spherical high-water-content tissue volume, such as the head. A method for finding the optimal surface distributions for delivering maximum power for arbitrarily located deep tumors in such a uniform spherical volume is presented. The resulting focused power dissipation pattern for any tumor location has a global maximum at the tumor, and also is the largest spherical volume for which no healthy tissue is overheated. The optimization uses spherical field harmonics, centered at the tumor target, summed with suitable complex weights to iteratively minimize surface power. Once the best field distributions are derived, the current sources which generate these distributions are determined. The resulting excitations represent the theoretically ideal spherical microwave hyperthermia configuration that no physical applicator system can surpass     

Three-dimensional electromagnetic power deposition in tumors usinginterstitial antenna arrays

Interstitial arrays of insulated antennas have shown promise for microwave hyperthermia treatment of deep-seated tumors. Available analytical techniques for predicting the electromagnetic (EM) power deposition of these antennas have been limited to the case of a homogeneous conductive medium surrounding the array. Since tumors and host tissue may differ in their electrical characteristics, it is necessary to consider the impact of this variation in electrical properties and the geometry of the tumor in the calculation of the EM field distribution and power deposition pattern when modeling interstitial antennas. In this paper a three-dimensional model of a tumor of arbitrary shape subjected to the fields of an interstitial antenna array is developed to predict the EM power deposition in an inhomogeneous tumor-tissue medium. The volume integral equation for the imbedded tumor is developed and solved by method of moments. The incident fields are calculated based on the available formulation of interstitial antennas in homogeneous media. The accuracy of the developed computer code was checked by comparing the results from the volume integral approach with the Mie solution for the special case of spherical tumors. Good comparison was obtained for tumors with properties approximately 25 percent different from those of the surrounding tissue. Comparisons of results from models of antenna arrays with and without imbedded tumors show significant differences in their predictions of the EM power deposition in the tumor. Hyperthermia protocols generally specify uniform temperature distribution within the tumor. The developed inhomogeneous model was used to examine the feasibility of controlling the uniformity of the power deposition pattern in large tumors by adjusting the amplitude or relative phase between the array elements. Results are presented to show that a phase lead of +90 degrees or relative amplitude of 4.0 on one antenna in a square array of four antennas could be used to shift the power deposition pattern to sequentially heat outer portions of a 2 cm diameter tumor, thereby achieving a more uniform time-averaged temperature distribution in the tumor.     

A thermal signal generator probe for the study of neural thermaltransduction

The study of thermal transduction in neural tissues has been impeded by the lack of instrumentation able to generate complex, focal temperature variations. Specifically, the authors are interested in the study of neural thermal transduction within the cornea, with its homogeneous thermal conductivity and avascularity. They present a thermal signal generator probe that is capable of producing arbitrarily shaped bipolar (heating or cooling) thermal swings in a small volume of corneal tissue with which it is in contact. Heating and cooling of the probe tip are achieved by means of a Peltier effect thermoelectric device. The probe temperature, measured directly at the tip, is controlled using closed-loop control circuitry and waveform generation software on a host computer. Response characteristics of thermally sensitive C-fibers were investigated in an in vitro preparation of the rabbit cornea     

A silicon probe with integrated microheaters for thermal markingand monitoring of neural tissue

This paper describes a microheater structure and its integration on a silicon microprobe. The 30-μm-diameter microstructure can be used to heat local areas of tissue or to measure local tissue temperature with an accuracy of <0.3°C. The polysilicon microheater is suspended on a dielectric membrane to reduce undesired heat conduction to the probe substrate. The heating efficiency is 4.4°C/mW in still water and 2.2°C/mW in guinea pig cortex. Six milliwatts applied for 2 min in cortex produces a temperature of 50°C, creating a well-defined 50-μm-wide lesion for determining probe position histologically. Fabrication of the heaters requires no additional masking or processing steps in addition to those normally used for recording or stimulating probes     

Combined Hyperthermia and Photodynamic Therapy Using a Sub-THz Gyrotron as a Radiation Source

In this paper, we present results of a hyperthermia treatment of malignant tumors using a gyrotron as a radiation source for heating of the cancerous tissue. They clearly demonstrate the efficiency of the irradiation by sub-THz waves, which leads to steady decrease of the volume of the tumor and finally to its disappearance. A combination of hyperthermia and photodynamic therapy (PDT) that utilizes a novel multifunctional photosensitizer has also been explored. In the latter case, the results are even more convincing and promising. In particular, while after a hyperthermia treatment sometimes a regrowth of the tumor is being observed, in the case of combined hyperthermia and PDT such regrowth has never been noticed. Another combined therapy is based on a preheating of the tumor by gyrotron radiation to temperatures lower than the hyperthermia temperature of 43 °C and followed then by PDT. The results show that such combination significantly increases the efficiency of the treatment. We consider this phenomenon as a synergy effect since it is absent when hyperthermia and PDT are applied separately, and manifests itself only when both methods are combined.     

Localized hyperthermia in the treatment of malignant brain tumors using an interstitial microwave antenna array

An interstitial microwave antenna array hyperthermia (IMAAH) system was evaluated in a series of acute experiments for its ability to generate localized hyperthermic fields in the normal adult and developing dog brain. Using a single microwave antenna, the maximum diameter of heating greater than or equal to 42°C was 1.3 cm. Using four microwave antennas, temperatures greater than or equal to 42°C were obtained over a 2.5 cm cross-sectional diameter. Normal gray matter cannot be heated above 42.2°C for 60 min without causing acute damage to cortical neurons. Edema formation can occur at temperatures as low as 42°C in both gray and white matter. Disruption of myelin tracts in white matter is apparent at temperatures of 43.0-43.5°C. The IMAAH system generates significantly higher and more variable temperature distributions in virally induced experimental brain tumors than in the developing dog brain at the same power levels.     

利用红外成像技术分析灸疗温度特征

为研究灸疗机理进行了温度特征分析实验,使用灸盒对物理传热材料模型和人体穴位施艾灸,记录施灸中心的温度变化,并用红外热像仪记录艾灸过程中的被灸体温度分布.通过分层物理模型实验探讨了灸热由灸体表面至内部扩散的规律.相同条件下重复实验,得出被灸体中心区域的温度一时问曲线和温度由表层至内部热量扩散的函数曲线.分析红外图像发现:物理材料等非生命物体以点热源能量扩散的方式逐渐升温,其温度呈同心圆方式分布;而人体具有自我调节机能,其温度分布呈现局部皮肤温度升高,并按照血管和经络的分布走行.此文为艾灸和热疗提供了丰富的图像数据,为传统中医学的灸疗机理研究提供了新的科学依据.