Hyperthermia, particularly when used in conjunction with ionizing radiation, is becoming a viable modality for cancer treatment. A high percentage of the clinical data currently available were obtained with applicators allowing little control of heating patterns within the treatment volume. However, such control is essential for obtaining therapeutically optimum temperature distributions, particularly when blood flow changes during treatment. We propose to continue development of new phased array concepts for ultrasound hyperthermia applicators which should provide the needed heating flexibility. This project has two primary goals: 1. To take the ultrasound phased array technology and prototype systems developed in the first grant period into the clinic, and 2. To continue development of phased array technology with close cooperation with our clinical colleagues. Clinical trials of site-specific phased array systems will be carried out on human patients under a consortium arrangement at Duke University. Development of new technology will be closely tied to actual clinical requirements. With the primary goal of enhancing clinical tumor heating capabilities, we will continue the development of: 1. Conformable or flexible arrays allowing placement and synthesis of optimal apertures for site-specific therapy; 2. Algorithms for allowing simultaneous use of multiple windows into a treatment volume; 3. Algorithms to allow automatic real time correction for patient breathing and movement; and 4. Algorithms to allow real-time phase aberration corrections due to tissue inhomogeneities. Achievement of these first four goals will be aided by development of small invasive hydrophone probes to obtain acoustic feedback from a treatment volume. This approach for phase error correction has been developed in our laboratory and its application has resulted in measured array field patterns which agree remarkably well with theoretical predictions. As additional enhancements to the clinical application of these arrays, we will also develop; 5. Patient treatment planning software which allows mapping of all available windows into a treatment volume onto a computed image of the body surface or array aperture; 6. Modifications of acoustic and thermal modelling algorithms we have previously developed to allow, from specification of desired temperatures at discrete control points, computation of the magnitude and phases for all the array element driving signals, and 7. VLSI chips to reduce the multichannel digital phase synthesis networks to a single computer controlled chip serving 64 channels.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA044124-08
Application #
2091382
Study Section
Radiation Study Section (RAD)
Project Start
1987-08-01
Project End
1997-03-31
Budget Start
1994-06-01
Budget End
1995-03-31
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1994
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Department
Engineering (All Types)
Type
Schools of Engineering
DUNS #
791277940
City
Ann Arbor
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48109
Botros, Y Y; Volakis, J L; VanBaren, P et al. (1997) A hybrid computational model for ultrasound phased-array heating in presence of strongly scattering obstacles. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 44:1039-50
VanBaren, P; Ebbini, E S (1995) Multipoint temperature control during hyperthermia treatments: theory and simulation. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 42:818-27
McGough, R J; Wang, H; Ebbini, E S et al. (1994) Mode scanning: heating pattern synthesis with ultrasound phased arrays. Int J Hyperthermia 10:433-42
Umemura, S I; Holmes, K R; Frizzell, L A et al. (1992) Insonation of fixed porcine kidney by a prototype sector-vortex-phased array applicator. Int J Hyperthermia 8:831-42
McGough, R J; Ebbini, E S; Cain, C A (1992) Direct computation of ultrasound phased-array driving signals from a specified temperature distribution for hyperthermia. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 39:825-35
Ebbini, E S; Cain, C A (1991) Optimization of the intensity gain of multiple-focus phased-array heating patterns. Int J Hyperthermia 7:953-73
Ebbini, E S; Cain, C A (1991) A spherical-section ultrasound phased array applicator for deep localized hyperthermia. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 38:634-43
Ibbini, M S; Cain, C A (1990) The concentric-ring array for ultrasound hyperthermia: combined mechanical and electrical scanning. Int J Hyperthermia 6:401-19
Umemura, S I; Cain, C A (1990) Analysis of temperature responses to diffused ultrasound focal fields produced by a sector-vortex phased array. Int J Hyperthermia 6:641-54