Non-invasive determination of tissue thermal parameters from high intensity focused ultrasound treatment monitored by volumetric MRI thermometry.

A method is proposed for estimating the perfusion rate, thermal diffusivity, and the absorption coefficient that influence the local temperature during high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) thermotherapy procedures. For this purpose, HIFU heating experiments (N = 100) were performed ex vivo on perfused porcine kidney (N = 5) under different flow conditions. The resulting spatio-temporal temperature variations were measured non-invasively by rapid volumetric MR-temperature imaging. The bio-heat transfer (BHT) model was adapted to describe the spatio-temporal evolution of tissue temperature in the cortex. Absorption and perfusion coefficients were determined by fitting the integrated thermal load (spatial integration of the thermal maps) curves in time with an analytical solution of the BHT equation proposed for single point HIFU heating. Thermal diffusivity was determined independently by analyzing the spatial spread of the temperature in time during the cooling period. Absorption coefficient and thermal diffusivity were found to be independent of flow, with mean and average values of 11.0 +/- 1.85 mm(3) x K x J(-1) and 0.172 +/- 0.003 mm(2) x s(-1), respectively. A linear dependence of the calculated perfusion rate with flow was observed with a slope of 9.20 +/- 0.75 mm(-3). The perfusion was found to act as a scaling term with respect to temperature but with no effect on the spatial spread of temperature which only depends on the thermal diffusivity. All results were in excellent agreement with the BHT model, indicating that this model is suitable to predict the evolution of temperature in perfused organs. This quantitative approach allows for determination of tissue thermal parameters with excellent precision (within 10%) and may thus help in quantifying the influence of perfusion during MR guided high intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU). (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.