Magnetic resonance imaging assisted cryosurgery
US5433717A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 23, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jul 18, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 23, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R33/56308
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
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.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.