Magnetic Resonance Guided Laser Thermal Therapy with Finite Element Simulation for Treatment Planning

Andrew Elliott¹, Anil M. Shetty¹, Roger McNichols², David Fuentes¹, John D. Hazle¹, R Jason Stafford¹

Image-guided laser induced thermal therapy using actively cooled applicators can potentially provide a minimally invasive alternative to conventional surgical interventions in regions such as the brain. Active cooling of the laser tips eliminates undesirable effects such as charring. This can be combined with real time temperature imaging feedback and use of appropriate modeling for final temperature and damage prediction. The current modeling is carried out using a finite element model of the Pennes equation which includes the effect of brain perfusion. The effect of the cooled laser tip is also simulated. Results show reasonable agreement between simulation and experiment.