Development of a hybrid Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging system for the guidance and monitoring of Focused Ultrasound therapy

Purpose: A system which allows simultaneous, coaligned Ultrasound (US) and Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging inside a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner has been developed. A custom-made US probe (Siemens) with an 8-metre cable permits US imaging in the magnet. The initial test application for this system is the guidance and monitoring of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) therapy. Clinical HIFU systems use MR or US imaging for this purpose, but the two provide different information: MRI gives good tissue contrast and accurate temperature measurement, while US monitors cavitation. We aim to exploit the advantages of both…