A research group in Switzerland led by Daniel Jeanmonod sought to optimize preoperative planning for functional neurosurgeons who are using focused ultrasound to perform pallidothalamic tractotomy in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Using histological analysis, the team developed a novel method to provide the optimal thermal dose to the specific target. Could this approach prevent symptom recurrence where repeated applications and increased application time could not? See Frontiers in Surgery >
Thermal Memory Based Photoacoustic Imaging of Temperature
Researchers at Duke University led by Dr. Junjie Yao have developed a groundbreaking method for incorporating photoacoustic temperature mapping into focused ultrasound therapy.
Initially conceptualized for both prostate cancer and for focused ultrasound-induced immune response monitoring, the new “thermal-energy-memory-based photoacoustic thermometry (TEMPT)” illuminates deep tissue with a nanosecond burst of laser pulses to exploit the temperature dependence of the lingering thermal energy. Without accurate temperature mapping, physicians and researchers cannot accurately control or provide optimal treatment with focused ultrasound, and precise monitoring also helps minimize side effects. See Optica >
See the Duke University Press Release >
Media Coverage
Optics & Photonics News | A Light-and-Sound Thermometer for Deep Tissues 2/20/19