Nathan McDannold1, Greg Clement1, Eyal Zadicario2, Peter Black1, Ferenc Jolesz1, Kullervo Hynynen1,3
1Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 2InSightec, Haifa, Israel; 3University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
In initial trials in three glioblastoma patients, we found that it was possible to focus an ultrasound beam transcranially into the brain and to visualize the heating with MR temperature imaging. While we were limited by the power available at the time with the device and thus appeared to not achieve thermal coagulation, analysis of the temperature measurements suggests that thermal ablation will be possible with this device without overheating the brain surface, with some possible limitation on the treatment envelope. These findings are a major step forward in producing a completely noninvasive alternative to surgical resection for brain disorders.