Ultrasonic Image Guidance for HIFU Cancer Treatment

描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议开发并验证一种基于超声的成像方法，用于图像引导的热疗癌症治疗。近年来，高强度聚焦超声（HIFU）作为成功治疗一系列癌症的工具已经显示出相当大的前景。然而，HIFU受到非侵入性监测治疗进展以控制热损伤的大小、形状和程度的困难的限制。这里的工作的目的是开发和初步验证使用商业仪器的一种新的方法，超声成像可以用来指导HIFU治疗。我们组建了一个由东北大学牵头的大学-工业联盟，成员包括Analogic公司、波士顿大学和密西西比大学国家物理声学中心。研究计划要求在团队的四个成员之间均衡分配工作。从技术上讲，我们考虑一个基于模型的方法来解决病变表征的问题，其中由成像换能器收集的数据用于估计与HIFU引起的病变的大小、形状、位置、方向和对比度直接相关的参数。我们的初步结果表明，这种方法的能力，以确定病变样区域仔细控制的实验条件下。我们建议在以下两个方面建立这种努力：1/更广泛的体模和离体实验评价; 2/能够解决现实HIFU监测场景的新成像方法的开发和实验评价，包括多病灶成像和病灶形成的跟踪;以及3/将所有方法初始实现到最先进的硬件平台，以最终用于实时治疗监测。将使用Analogic构建的最先进的超声成像仪器对病变表征算法的性能和优化方法的实用性进行验证。我们提供了关于将该项目中的工作迁移到诊所的具体计划。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop and validate an ultrasound-based imaging approach to image guided hyperthermia cancer therapy. High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has shown considerable promise in recent years as a tool for successfully treating a range of cancers. HIFU is limited however by difficulties in noninvasively monitoring the progress of the treatment to control the size, shape, and extent of the thermal lesion. The objective of the work here is the development and initial validation using commercial instrumentation of a new approach by which ultrasonic imaging can be used to guide HIFU treatment. We have assembled a university-industrial consortium led by Northeastern University and comprised of participants from Analogic Corporation, Boston University, and the National Center for Physical Acoustics at the University of Mississippi. The research plan calls for a balanced distribution of the effort across the four members of the team. Technically, we consider a model-based approach to the problem of lesion characterization wherein the data collected by the imaging transducer are used to estimate parameters directly related to the size, shape, location, orientation, and contrast of the HIFU-induced lesion. Our initial results indicate the ability of this method to identify lesion-like regions under carefully controlled experimental conditions. We propose here to build on this effort both in terms of : 1/ more extensive phantom and ex vivo experimental evaluation; 2/ the development and experimental evaluation of new imaging methods capable of addressing realistic HIFU monitoring scenarios including multi-lesion imaging and tracking of lesion formation; and 3/ initial implementation of all methods to state-of-the-art hardware platforms for eventual use in real-time treatment monitoring. Validation of the performance of the lesion characterization algorithms and the utility of the optimization approaches will take place using state-of-the-art ultrasound imaging instrumentation built by Analogic. We provide concrete plans concerning the migration of the work in this project to the clinic.