Image-guided intensive focused ultrasound: Simulation, development, and applications

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A promising area of research within the field of therapeutic ultrasound is the application of intensive focused ultrasound (IFUS) to treat neurological disorders in various neural tissues and structures such as brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. There are still a number of scientific and/or technical challenges that must be resolved before IFUS could find an established place in medicine and biology. An important area that still needs significant investigation is the complicated interaction of the IFUS beam with neural tissues and structures and the resulting bioeffects. Ultrasound is also very attractive as a non-invasive, real-time, portable, and cost-effective imaging modality. Primary components of any new therapeutic technology (including IFUS) must include its ability for guidance and accurate monitoring of the treatment. Reliable quantitative ultrasound-based guidance and monitoring of the progression of treatment by measuring the thermo-mechanical changes in tissue at the beam focus is therefore needed for a successful therapy. The objective of the proposal is to establish and maintain an advanced research program in the area of non-invasive image-guided ultrasound surgery toward further improving efficacy and safety of the current technology and developing new applications in the areas of neurosurgery and pain management. The research proposal consists investigations in the following main areas. (a) Development of novel nonlinear ultrasound models to accurately and efficiently simulate the interaction of the IFUS beam with tissue and to predict the resulting thermal and mechanical bioeffects. (b) Design and development of a novel extra-corporeal image-guided dual-mode therapeutic ultrasound technology that makes use of combined mechanical and thermal effects of IFUS to improve treatment efficacy and safety. (c) Customization and application of the developed technology as a non-invasive image-guided surgery modality in neurosurgery and pain management. The proposal has strong potential to lead to scientific and technological breakthroughs in the field of non-invasive image-guided ultrasound surgery.