Ultrasonic Holograms to Enhance Hyperthermia Volumes

In this work we numerically and experimentally study the performance of large-volume hyperthermia induced by acoustic holographic-modulated high-intensity focused ultrasound (AHmHIFU) in gelatin phantoms. Excellent agreement was found between thermal simulations of the AHmHIFU system and temperature maps characterized with Proton Resonance Frequency Shift MR-thermometry at 1.5 T. ROIs inside which experimental temperature elevation was greater than 4 degrees were 11 mm by 16 mm and 7 mm by 30 mm with and without the holographic lens, respectively. Most importantly, standard deviation inside these ROIs were equal to 12% and 40% of the maximum temperature with and without the lens. This demonstrates that a wider and more uniform heated region can be generated using the holographic lens, showing the capabilities of acoustic holograms to be used as a low-cost alternative for large-volume hyperthermia treatments