Temperature field reconstruction for minimally invasive cryosurgery with application to wireless implantable temperature sensors and/or medical imaging

• Published in: Cryobiology Vol. 65; no. 3; pp. 270 - 277
• Main Authors: Thaokar, Chandrajit, Rabin, Yoed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Inc 01.12.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bioheat transfer; Biological and medical sciences; Body Temperature; Computer Simulation; Cryosurgery; Cryosurgery - instrumentation; Diagnostic Imaging - instrumentation; Humans; image analysis; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Implantable; Male; Medical imaging; Medical sciences; Miniaturization; Models, Biological; Prostate; Prostate - physiology; Prostate - surgery; Prostheses and Implants; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the genital tract and mammary gland; temperature; Temperature field reconstruction; Temperature sensor; Thermometers; Medical imaging; Cryosurgery; Temperature sensor; Bioheat transfer; Implantable; Temperature field reconstruction; Prostate; Temperature distribution; Wireless telecommunication; Cryobiology; Minimally invasive surgery; Treatment; Implanted; Surgery; Medical imagery; Mathematical model; Urogenital system; Heat transfer; Biomedical engineering
• ISSN: 0011-2240; 1090-2392; 1090-2392
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2012.08.001

There is an undisputed need for temperature-field reconstruction during minimally invasive cryosurgery. The current line of research focuses on developing miniature, wireless, implantable, temperature sensors to enable temperature-field reconstruction in real time. This project combines two parallel efforts: (i) to develop the hardware necessary for implantable sensors, and (ii) to develop mathematical techniques for temperature-field reconstruction in real time—the subject matter of the current study. In particular, this study proposes an approach for temperature-field reconstruction combining data obtained from medical imaging, cryoprobe-embedded sensors, and miniature, wireless, implantable sensors, the development of which is currently underway. This study discusses possible strategies for laying out implantable sensors and approaches for data integration. In particular, prostate cryosurgery is presented as a developmental model and a two-dimensional proof-of-concept is discussed. It is demonstrated that the lethal temperature can be predicted to a significant degree of certainty with implantable sensors and the technique proposed in the current study, a capability that is yet unavailable.