The combined concentric-ring and sector-vortex phased array for MRI guided ultrasound surgery

MRI guided ultrasound surgery requires small surgical equipment volumes to facilitate the treatment of larger patients in the limited space of a conventional MRI magnet. In addition, large focal volumes are required to reduce the treatment time of large tumors. The concentric-ring array is capable of moving the focus in one dimension, and previous studies have shown that a circular array composed of radial sectors is capable of producing enlarged focal volumes. These two array designs may be combined to create an array that is capable of both enlarging the focus and moving the focus along the axis of the array. Simulations were performed to predict the performance and capabilities of various combined array designs by using numerical routines to calculate the acoustic power field, temperature distribution, and accumulated thermal dose. The results shown predict that the combined array can create necrosed tissue volumes over 30 times larger than the concentric-ring array while maintaining focal range. The simulation results were verified with an experimental array consisting of 13 rings and 4 sectors. In addition, simulations were performed where multiple focal patterns were cycled in the time domain to create an optimized heating pattern characterized by uniform thermal dose over the volume of the lesion. Such heating patterns resulted in a 40 degrees C lower maximum temperature compared to single mode sonications while producing the same necrosed tissue volume, and yielded a rate of necrosis of 26.4 cm(3)/h.