MINIMUM TIME FEEDBACK CONTROL OF EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF THERMAL THERAPIES

• US 20110137147A1
• Filed: 10/10/2006
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation (State of Utah)
• Original Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation (State of Utah)
• Inventors: Skliar, Mikhail, Roemer, Robert, Arora, Dhiraj
• Application Number:
  US12/089,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20110137147A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/411
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00084 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/374 NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/025 interstitial
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

A thermal treatment control system including an imaging device for specifying the geometry and/or location of the treatment target, a thermal energy element for applying a thermal treatment for the heating or cooling of a target tissue for therapeutic purposes, a thermal energy detecting element for detecting a measured tissue response to the thermal treatment and a feedback controller for a real-time modification of the intensity and spatial distribution of the thermal dose in order to achieve therapeutic efficacy over a minimum or reduced treatment time while satisfying treatment constraints imposed to limit damage to normal tissues.

Claims

1. A thermal treatment control system, comprising:

an imaging device for specifying a treatment target'"'"'s geometry and/or location;

a thermal energy element for applying a thermal treatment wherein the thermal treatment comprises heating and/or cooling of a target for therapeutic purposes;

a thermal energy element for applying cooling and/or heating of normal tissues to prevent or minimize normal tissue damage outside the treatment target;

a thermal energy detecting element for detecting a measured tissue response to the thermal treatment; and

a feedback controller for a real-time modification of the intensity and spatial distribution of a thermal energy created by the thermal energy element in order to achieve the efficacy objectives of the therapy in a minimum or reduced time while simultaneously satisfying normal tissue safety constraints;

wherein the measured tissue response to the thermal treatment is used as feedback by the feedback controller and the real-time modification is made to the operation of the thermal energy element in reaction to the measured tissue response.

2. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein a prescribed target treatment efficacy in terms of a thermal dose, a temperature distribution, a temperature change, or other treatment parameters is specified for achieving a desired treatment outcome.

3. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein treatment conditions are specified for ensuring the safety of the tissues outside a treatment target and wherein the treatment parameter is in the form of temperature, temperature change, thermal dose, or limits on thermal response of the normal tissues outside the treatment target.

4. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein a hardware constraint of the thermal treatment system or thermal element is specified.

5. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy element for applying a thermal treatment comprises a noninvasive power delivery element.

6. The thermal energy element of claim 5, further comprising single or multiple transducers or transducer arrays for ultrasound heating, radio frequency heating, and/or microwave heating.

7. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy element for applying a thermal treatment comprises an invasive power delivery element.

8. The thermal energy element of claim 7, further comprising an interstitial microwave, radio frequency and/or optical needles and applicators.

9. The thermal energy element of claim 7, further comprising an interstitial ultrasound element.

10. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy detecting element for detecting a measured tissue response to the thermal treatment comprises a noninvasive thermal energy detecting element.

11. The thermal treatment control system of claim 10, further comprising means for taking a magnetic resonance temperature measurement.

12. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy detecting element for detecting a measured tissue response to the thermal treatment comprises an invasive thermal energy detecting element.

13. The invasive thermal energy detecting element of claim 12, further comprising an invasive thermal energy detecting probe.

14. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy element for applying a thermal treatment is selected from the group consisting of a single stationary ultrasound transducer, a single stationary interstitial microwave, radio frequency and/or optical needle or applicator, a single transducer which may be repositioned by mechanical or other means, multiple stationary ultrasound transducers comprising a stationary phased array of individually controlled ultrasound transducers, multiple stationary microwave, radio frequency and/or optical needles and applicators, multiple ultrasound transducers which may be repositioned by mechanical or other means, stationary and repositionable ultrasound transducers, stationary and repositionable microwave, radio frequency and/or optical needles and applicators, and any combination thereof.

15. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein the feedback controller includes a predictive thermal model;

16. The thermal treatment control system of claim 15, wherein the predictive model includes a transducer model.

17. The thermal treatment control system of claim 15, wherein the feedback controller is an adaptive treatment controller which re-identifies the predictive thermal model and transducer models, and utilizes the re-identified models in automatic control of the thermal therapy.

18. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for providing a real-time interaction between the thermal treatment control system and at least one clinical personnel during the thermal treatment.

19. The thermal treatment control system of claim 18, wherein the means for providing the real-time interaction uses model-based prediction of treatment progression and/or treatment outcome to change the thermal treatment.

20. The thermal treatment control system of claim 18, wherein means for providing the real-time interaction adjusts the efficacy and safety objectives of the thermal treatment based on the treatment monitoring and the model-based prediction of treatment progression and/or treatment outcome.

21. The thermal treatment control system of claim 3, wherein a positional constraint for normal tissues outside the treatment target is specified.

22. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, further comprising a data processing means that coordinates the actions of the imaging device, the thermal energy element, the thermal energy detecting element, and the feedback controller.

23. The thermal treatment control system of claim 1, wherein the measured tissue response to the thermal treatment is in the form of a temperature change and the temperature change is measured by using a proton resonance frequency shift method.

24. A method for thermal treatment of a subject, the method comprising:

specifying a treatment target'"'"'s geometry and/or location using an imaging device;

applying a thermal treatment wherein the thermal treatment comprises heating and/or cooling of a target tissue for therapeutic purposes;

applying a thermal treatment wherein a thermal energy element applies cooling and/or heating of normal tissues to prevent or minimize normal tissue damage outside the treatment target;

detecting a measured tissue response to the thermal treatment; and

modify the intensity and spatial distribution of a thermal dose using a real-time feedback controller element in order to achieve the efficacy objectives of the therapy in a minimum or reduced time while simultaneously satisfying normal tissue safety constraints;

wherein the measured tissue response to the thermal treatment is used as feedback by the feedback controller and the real-time modification is made to the operation of the thermal energy element in reaction to the measured tissue response.