Automation of temperature control for large-array microwave surface applicators

Performance evaluation of a conformal thermal monitoring sheet sensor array for measurement of surface temperature distributions during superficial hyperthermia treatments

PURPOSE

This paper presents a novel conformal thermal monitoring sheet (TMS) sensor array with differential thermal sensitivity for measuring temperature distributions over large surface areas. Performance of the sensor array is evaluated in terms of thermal accuracy, mechanical stability and conformity to contoured surfaces, probe self-heating under irradiation from microwave and ultrasound hyperthermia sources, and electromagnetic field perturbation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prototype with 4 x 4 array of fiber-optic sensors embedded between two flexible and thermally conducting polyimide films was developed as an alternative to the standard 1-2 mm diameter plastic catheter-based probes used in clinical hyperthermia. Computed tomography images and bending tests were performed to evaluate the conformability and mechanical stability respectively. Irradiation and thermal barrier tests were conducted and thermal response of the prototype was compared with round cross-sectional clinical probes.

RESULTS

Bending and conformity tests demonstrated higher flexibility, dimensional stability and close conformity to human torso. Minimal perturbation of microwave fields and low probe self-heating was observed when irradiated with 915 MHz microwave and 3.4 MHz ultrasound sources. The transient and steady state thermal responses of the TMS array were superior compared to the clinical probes.

CONCLUSIONS

A conformal TMS sensor array with improved thermal sensitivity and dimensional stability was investigated for real-time skin temperature monitoring. This fixed-geometry, body-conforming array of thermal sensors allows fast and accurate characterization of two-dimensional temperature distributions over large surface areas. The prototype TMS demonstrates significant advantages over clinical probes for characterizing skin temperature distributions during hyperthermia treatments of superficial tissue disease.

Automatic Temperature Controller for Multielement Array Hyperthermia Systems

This paper concerns the optimization and performance analysis of an automatic control algorithm for managing power output of large multielement array hyperthermia applicators. Simulation and corresponding measurement of controller performance in a solid tissue equivalent phantom model is utilized for analysis of controller response to dynamically varying thermal load conditions that simulate clinical treatments. The analysis leads to an optimum controller which demonstrates the ability to achieve a uniform and stable temperature profile over a large surface area regardless of surrounding thermal load. This paper presents several advancements to the performance of a previously published control routine, including: 1) simplified simulation techniques for thorough characterization of controller performance; 2) an optimization procedure leading to an improved hybrid control algorithm for maintaining optimal performance during periods of both "rising" and "steady-state" temperature; 3) performance analysis of a control algorithm tailored for large area hyperthermia treatments with a mulitelement array applicator. The optimized hybrid controller is applied to the conformal microwave array (CMA) hyperthermia system previously developed for heating large area surface disease such as diffuse chestwall recurrence of breast carcinoma, and shown to produce stable, uniform temperatures under the multielement array applicator for all thermal load conditions.

An adaptive microwave phased array for targeted heating of deep tumours in intact breast: animal study results

It has previously been reported in phantoms, that an adaptive radiofrequency phased array can generate deep focused heating distributions without overheating the skin and superficial healthy tissues. The present study involves adaptive microwave phased array hyperthermia tests in animals (rabbits) with and without tumours. The design of the adaptive phased array as applied to the treatment of tumours in intact breast, is described. The adaptive phased array concept uses breast compression and dual-opposing 915 MHz air-cooled waveguide applicators with electronic phase shifters and electric-field feedback, to focus automatically by computer control the microwave radiation in deep tissue. Temperature measurements for a clinical adaptive phased array hyperthermia system demonstrate tissue heating at depth with reduced skin heating.

Hyperthermia equipment evaluation

This article looks briefly at the advances over the past 2 decades in the development of equipment for administering clinical hyperthermia, and observes that while there has been much progress, the equipment available today still does not meet the design criteria articulated 20 years ago. The assertation is made that the testing of hyperthermia equipment in animals has not addressed the questions most of interest in the clinic, and a suggestion is made for a more rigorous way to evaluate clinical equipment. Finally some areas where significant progress in equipment development seems possible are mentioned.