Evaluation of Dual-Frequency Switching HIFU for Optimizing Superficial Ablation

Wenchang Huang; Yang Jiao; Jiaqi Li; Yan He; Weiwei Shao; Yaoyao Cui

doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2024.02.016

Evaluation of Dual-Frequency Switching HIFU for Optimizing Superficial Ablation

Ultrasound Med Biol. 2024 Jun;50(6):908-919. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2024.02.016. Epub 2024 Mar 27.

Authors

Wenchang Huang¹, Yang Jiao², Jiaqi Li¹, Yan He¹, Weiwei Shao², Yaoyao Cui³

Affiliations

¹ School of Biomedical Engineering (Suzhou), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China; Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
² Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
³ Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: cuiyy@sibet.ac.cn.

PMID: 38548527
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2024.02.016

Abstract

Objective: Dual-frequency high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) thermal ablation is an exceptionally promising technique for treating tumors due to its precision and effectiveness. However, there are still a few studies on improving the accuracy and efficiency of HIFU in superficial ablation applications. This study proposes a method utilizing dual frequency switching ultrasound (DFSU) to enhance the efficiency and precision of superficial treatments.

Methods: A dual-frequency HIFU transducer operating at 4.5 MHz and 13.7 MHz was designed, and a dual-frequency impedance matching network was designed to optimize electro-acoustic conversion efficiency. Phantom and ex vivo tests were conducted to measure and compare thermal lesion areas and temperature rises caused by single-frequency ultrasound (SFU) and DFSU.

Results: In both phantom and ex vivo tests, the utilization of DFSU resulted in larger lesion areas compared to SFU. Moreover, DFSU provided improved control and versatility, enabling precise and efficient ablation.

Conclusion: DFSU exhibits the ability to generate larger ablation areas in superficial tissue compared to SFU, and DFSU allows flexible control over the ablation area and temperature rise rate. The acoustic power deposition of HIFU can be optimized to achieve precise ablation.

Keywords: Dual-frequency ultrasound; High-intensity focused ultrasound; Superficial tissue diseases; Thermal ablation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Equipment Design
High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation* / methods
Phantoms, Imaging*
Swine
Transducers