INTERACTIVE IMAGE GUIDED CLOSED LOOP THERMAL THERAPY

使用热疗法（高温或低温）治疗最低限度- 侵入性手术通过递送大的且 不同剂量的热能几乎在身体的任何地方通过小 直径导管为基础的工具。虽然这项技术令人难以置信 最大限度地减少手术创伤、恢复时间和相关 医疗保健成本，它已经低于是潜在的部分原因是， 难以监测治疗造成的组织损伤前沿。 这是特别真实的激光诱导热疗，我们认为 这里.虽然使用磁共振成像技术获取这些信息的技术 磁共振成像（MRI）已被探索，一个足够的闭环 控制系统尚未开发。我们认为，目前 有能力以适当的时间收集这些信息， 空间和温度分辨率的存在，并创建一个封闭的， 回路反馈热疗系统是一个合适的硬件问题 接口和控制策略。该项目将开发一个原型， 能够实时反馈控制和可视化的计算机系统 热疗法。该系统将连接临床Nd：YAG激光器 核磁共振控制台最初，此界面将针对 特定（TecMag）MRI控制台，但将适用于其他MR系统 以及其他热疗工具。 拟议的商业应用： 这项研究的直接结果将是一个互动的，图像引导的， 一种计算机控制的热疗系统， 磁共振成像系统到医用激光器。它将允许一个 用户以交互方式指定热配置文件，然后将 通过适当的激光能量输送产生。这个装置将允许 微创激光治疗深部组织成为现实， 通过减少手术创伤大大降低了医疗保健成本， 恢复时间美国有大约5000台临床MRI扫描仪 目前，开放式MR扫描仪越来越受欢迎，因此， 商业开发的MRI就绪热成像的潜在市场 治疗系统应达到或超过几千个单位。此外，本发明还提供了一种方法， 交互式闭环控制系统将在 这个项目将是有用的，在任何应用程序中，非侵入性 需要监测和控制温度分布，包括 超声波、微波和射频热疗以及 冷冻疗法

The use of thermal therapy (hyperthermia or hypothermia) for minimally- invasive surgery is facilitated by the ability to deliver large and varied doses of thermal energy virtually anywhere in the body via small diameter catheter based tools. While this technique holds incredible potential for minimizing surgical trauma, recovery time, and associated health care costs, it has fallen short of is potential in part due to a difficulty in monitoring the tissue damage front created by the therapy. This is particularly true of laser induced hyperthermia which we consider here. While techniques for acquiring this information using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been explored, an adequate closed-loop control system has not yet been developed. We believe that currently the capability to collect this information with appropriate temporal, spatial, and temperature resolution exists and that creating a closed- loop feed-back thermal therapy system is a matter of appropriate hardware interface and control strategy. This project will develop a prototype for a computer system capable of real-time feedback control and visualization of thermal therapies. The system will interface a clinical Nd:YAG laser to an MRI console. Initially, this interface will be designed for a specific (TecMag) MRI console but will be adaptable to other MR systems as well as other thermal therapy tools. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: This direct result of this research will be an interactive, image-guided, computer-controlled thermal therapy system which interfaces an existing magnetic resonance imaging system to a medical laser. It will allow a user to interactively specify a thermal profile which will then be generated by appropriate delivery of laser energy. This device will allow minimally invasive laser therapy of deep tissues to become reality thus greatly reducing health care costs by decreasing surgical trauma and recovery time. There are some 5000 clinical MRI scanners in the US currently and open MR scanners are becoming increasingly popular, thus the potential market for a commercially developed, MRI-ready thermal therapy system should met or exceed several thousand units. In addition, the interactive, closed-loop control system which will be developed in this project will be useful in any application where non-invasive monitoring and control of temperature profiles is required including ultrasound, microwave, and radio-frequency hyperthermia as well as cryotherapies.