A FIELD CONJUGATION METHOD FOR DIRECT SYNTHESIS OF HYPERTHERMIA PHASED-ARRAY HEATING PATTERNS

A phased-array field conjugation method is investigated as a means for synthesizing directly many ultrasound field patterns useful for tumor heating. For virtually any ultrasound phased array, the method permits the computation of element driving amplitude and phase distributions appropriate for synthesizing directly diffuse heating patterns without the need for mechanical or electrical scanning. Moreover, the proposed method offers the possibility of creating simultaneously, at different sites, more than one focus, which can then be scanned electronically. This attractive feature eliminates the need for operating at high spatial-peak temporal-peak focal intensities, a potential problem associated with conventional scanning, while achieving a desired heating pattern. The method is applied to two different applicator configurations: a concentric-ring and a square n × n array. Computer simulations of different heating patterns, synthesized using the field conjugation method, are presented. Important practical design parameters, such as the size and number of the array elements, are discussed.