An ex vivo human lung model for ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy using lung flooding.

Frank Wolfram, Jürgen R Reichenbach, Thomas G Lesser

Journal: Ultrasound in medicine & biology 2014;40(3):496-503

PMID: 24412177

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

The usability of an ex vivo human lung model for ablation of lung cancer tissue with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is described. Lung lobes were flooded with saline, with no gas remaining after complete atelectasis. The tumor was delineated sono-morphologically. Speed of sound, tissue density and ultrasound attenuation were measured for flooded lung and different pulmonary cancer tissues. The acoustic impedance of lung cancer tissue (1.6-1.9 mega-Rayleighs) was higher than that of water, as was its attenuation coefficient (0.31-0.44 dB/cm/MHz) compared with that of the flooded lung (0.12 dB/cm/MHz). After application of HIFU, the temperature in centrally located lung cancer surrounded by the flooded lung increased as high as 80°C, which is sufficient for treatment. On the basis of these preliminary results, ultrasound-guided HIFU ablation of lung cancer, by lung flooding with saline, appears feasible and should be explored in future clinical studies.

Address: Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, SRH Wald-Klinikum Gera, Teaching Hospital of Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, Gera, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].; Medical Physics Group, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Center of Radiology, Jena University Hospital- Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany.; Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, SRH Wald-Klinikum Gera, Teaching Hospital of Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, Gera, Germany.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2013.11.007