Joost W. Wijlemans1,
Mario Ries2, Martijn de Greef2, Gerald Schubert3,
Max Khler3, Mika Ylihautala3, Lambertus W. Bartels2,
Chrit T.W. Moonen2, Maurice A.A.J. van den Bosch1
1Department
of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; 2Image
Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; 3Philips
Medical Systems MR, Vantaa, Finland
The heat sink effect, a major challenge in MR-HIFU ablation of liver tumors, can be reduced by performing intra-arterial embolization prior to MR-HIFU ablation. In this study, we investigated the synergistic effect of embolization and MR-HIFU. Six treatment cells were sonicated in a porcine liver model using PRFS thermometry. Subsequently, the liver was embolized and the treatment cells were re-sonicated. Mean temperature increase after embolization was 1.7 times higher than in perfused liver tissue. These results indicate that combination treatment with intra-arterial embolization and MR-HIFU could be an attractive treatment option for liver cancer patients in the palliative phase.