Magnetic resonance imaging assisted cryosurgery
First Claim
1. An apparatus for high-resolution magnetic resonance monitoring of cryosurgery in a subject tissue, comprising:
- a magnet producing a magnetic field to which said subject tissue is exposed;
a cryoprobe located in said magnetic field and having an intracorporeal end, an exterior surface, a cavity, an inlet for introduction of a cryogen to said cavity, an outlet for exhaust of said cryogen from said cavity, and a thermally conducting region between said cavity and an active region on a portion of said exterior surface for application to said subject tissue; and
a magnetic resonance radio frequency coil mounted on said cryoprobe within a distance less than several times a diameter of said coil from said active region for providing a magnetic resonance image of said subject tissue.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assisted cryosurgery. Optimal probe placements and cooling parameters are calculated prior to cryosurgery using MRI data. A MRI compatible cryoprobe and a stereotactic probe positioning device are provided. The resolution of MR images is enhanced by mounting a radio frequency MR coil on the intracorporeal end of a cryoprobe. During cryosurgery the temperature distribution in the frozen region is solved by determining the boundary of the frozen region and solving the heat equation for the known boundary conditions. During cryosurgery the temperature distribution in the unfrozen region is determined by T1 measurements. The process of freezing is controled using information from the solution of the energy equation in the frozen region and temperature measurements in the unfrozen region. After cryosurgery the extent of the tissue damage may be ascertained using phosphorus-31 and/or sodium-23 spectroscopy with a special coil set on the cryosurgical probe.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. An apparatus for high-resolution magnetic resonance monitoring of cryosurgery in a subject tissue, comprising:
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a magnet producing a magnetic field to which said subject tissue is exposed; a cryoprobe located in said magnetic field and having an intracorporeal end, an exterior surface, a cavity, an inlet for introduction of a cryogen to said cavity, an outlet for exhaust of said cryogen from said cavity, and a thermally conducting region between said cavity and an active region on a portion of said exterior surface for application to said subject tissue; and a magnetic resonance radio frequency coil mounted on said cryoprobe within a distance less than several times a diameter of said coil from said active region for providing a magnetic resonance image of said subject tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A surface probe, comprising:
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a cryoprobe having an intracorporeal end and an exterior surface, a cavity, an inlet for introduction of a cryogen to said cavity, an outlet for exhaust of said cryogen from said cavity, and a thermally conducting region between said cavity and an active region on a portion of said exterior surface for application to a subject tissue; and a first magnetic resonance radio frequency coil mounted on said cryoprobe within a first distance less than several times a diameter of said coil from said active region of said cryoprobe for providing a first magnetic resonance image of said subject tissue. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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Specification