Medical Instrument For Sonicating A Set Of Target Volumes

1 . A medical instrument comprising:

a high intensity focused ultrasound system comprising an ultrasonic transducer, wherein the ultrasonic transducer comprises multiple transducer elements for sonicating a target zone, wherein the high intensity focused ultrasound system is operable for electronically steering a sonication location by controlling supply of electrical power to each of the multiple transducer elements;

a magnetic resonance imaging system for acquiring thermal magnetic resonance imaging data from an imaging zone, wherein the target zone is within the imaging zone;

a processor for controlling the medical instrument;

a memory containing machine executable instructions and thermometry pulse sequence commands, wherein the thermometry pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire the thermal magnetic resonance imaging data according to a magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol;

wherein execution of the machine executable instructions causes the processor to:

receive sonication commands, wherein the sonication commands specify a set of multiple target volumes within the target zone; and

receive a selection of a current target volume selected from the set of multiple target volumes;

wherein execution of the machine executable instructions causes the processor to repeatedly:

acquire the thermal magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with the thermometry pulse sequence commands;

calculate a temperature map using the thermal magnetic resonance data;

control the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume by steering the sonication location to the current target volume;

remove the current target volume from the set of multiple target volumes after controlling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume;

calculate a sonication energy that needs to be deposited at a target volume for each of the multiple target volumes by using the temperature map;

select a next target volume from the multiple target volumes based on the calculated sonication energy, wherein the next target volume is a target volume, which will require a minimum sonication energy to finish the sonication; and

set the next target volume as the current target volume.

2 . The medical instrument of claim 2 , wherein execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to repeatedly:

calculate an estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes using the temperature map and an ultrasonic transducer model, and

select the next target volume at least partially using the estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes.

3 . The medical instrument of claim 2 , wherein selecting the next target volume at least partially using the estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes comprises searching the estimated near field temperature map for a high temperature zone which has a temperature above a predetermined threshold.

4 . The medical instrument of claim 3 , wherein selecting the next target volume at least partially using the estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes comprises excluding a chosen target volume from being selected as the next target volume if the high temperature zone is found.

5 . The medical instrument of claim 3 , wherein selecting the next target volume at least partially using the estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes comprises modifying the sonication commands to shut off transducer elements selected from multiple transducer elements that contribute to the heating of the high temperature zone.

6 . The medical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol is a proton resonance frequency shift magnetic resonance protocol, wherein the memory further contains calibration pulse sequence commands, wherein the calibration pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire phase calibration magnetic resonance data according to the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol, wherein execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to:

acquire the phase calibration magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with the calibration pulse sequence commands before controling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume, and

calculate a phase calibration using the phase calibration magnetic resonance data, wherein the temperature map is calculated using the thermal magnetic resonance data and the phase calibration.

7 . The medical instrument of claim 6 , wherein the medical instrument further comprises an actuator system for moving the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the sonication commands specify an actuator position for each of the set of multiple target volumes, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the processor to create a list of possible actuator positions from the actuator position for each of the set of multiple target volumes, wherein the phase calibration magnetic resonance data is acquired by acquiring the phase calibration magnetic resonance data for each actuator position in the list of possible actuator positions, wherein the phase calibration calculated by calculating the phase calibration for each actuator position in the list of possible actuator positions.

8 . The medical instrument of claim 7 , wherein execution of the machine executable instructions cause the processor to calculate the temperature map for each actuator position in the list of possible actuator positions using the thermal magnetic resonance data for each actuator position in the list of possible actuator positions, wherein controling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target comprises controlling the actuator system to move the ultrasonic transducer to the actuator position of the current target volume.

9 . A method of operating a medical instrument, wherein the medical instrument comprises a high intensity focused ultrasound system comprising an ultrasonic transducer; wherein the ultrasonic transducer comprises multiple transducer elements for sonicating a target, wherein the high intensity focused ultrasound system is operable for electronically steering a sonication location by controlling supply of electrical power to each of the multiple transducer elements, wherein the medical instrument further comprises a magnetic resonance imaging system for acquiring thermal magnetic resonance imaging data from an imaging zone, wherein the target zone is within the imaging zone,

wherein the method comprises:

receiving sonication commands, wherein the sonication commands specify a set of multiple target volumes within the target zone;

receiving a selection of a current target volume selected from the set of multiple target volumes;

wherein the method comprises repeatedly:

acquiring the thermal magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with thermometry pulse sequence commands, wherein the thermometry pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire the thermal magnetic resonance imaging data according to a magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol;

calculating a temperature map using the thermal magnetic resonance data;

controlling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume by steering the sonication location to the current target volume;

removing the current target volume from the set of multiple target volumes after controlling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume;

calculating a sonication energy for each of the multiple target volumes by using the temperature map;

selecting a next target volume from the multiple target volumes using the calculation of the sonication energy for each of the multiple target volumes, wherein the selection of the next target volume comprises searching for the sonication energy with a minimum value; and

setting the next target volume as the current target volume.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises repeatedly:

calculating an estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes using the temperature map and an ultrasonic transducer model, and

selecting the next target volume at least partially using the estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein selecting the next target volume at least partially using the estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes comprises searching the estimated near field temperature map for a high temperature zone which has a temperature above a predetermined threshold.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the next target volume at least partially using the estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes comprises excluding a chosen target volume from being selected as the next target volume if the high temperature zone is found.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the next target volume at least partially using the estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes comprises modifying the sonication commands to shut off transducer elements selected from multiple transducer elements that contribute to the heating of the high temperature zone.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol is a proton resonance frequency shift magnetic resonance protocol, wherein the method further comprises:

acquiring the phase calibration magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with calibration pulse sequence commands before controling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume, wherein the calibration pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire phase calibration magnetic resonance data according to the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol; and

calculating a phase calibration according with the phase calibration magnetic resonance data, wherein the temperature map is calculated using the thermal magnetic resonance data and the phase calibration.

15 . A computer program product comprising machine executable instructions for execution by a processor controlling a medical instrument, wherein the medical instrument comprises a high intensity focused ultrasound system comprising an ultrasonic transducer; wherein the ultrasonic transducer comprises multiple transducer elements for sonicating a target zone, wherein the high intensity focused ultrasound system is operable for electronically steering a sonication location by controlling supply of electrical power to each of the multiple transducer elements, wherein the medical instrument further comprises a magnetic resonance imaging system for acquiring thermal magnetic resonance imaging data from an imaging zone, wherein the target zone is within the imaging zone,

wherein execution of the machine executable instructions causes the processor to:

receive sonication commands, wherein the sonication commands specify a set of multiple target volumes within the target zone;

receive a selection of a current target volume selected from the set of multiple target volumes;

wherein execution of the machine executable instructions causes the processor to repeatedly:

acquire the thermal magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with thermometry pulse sequence commands, wherein the thermometry pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire the thermal magnetic resonance imaging data according to a magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol;

calculate a temperature map using the thermal magnetic resonance data;

control the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume by steering the sonication location to the current target volume;

remove the current target volume from the set of multiple target volumes after controlling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume;

calculate a sonication energy for each of the multiple target volumes by using the temperature map;

select a next target volume from the multiple target volumes using the calculation of the sonication energy for each of the multiple target volumes, wherein the selection of the next target volume comprises searching for the sonication energy with a minimum value; and

set the next target volume as the current target volume.

16 . The medical instrument of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol is a proton resonance frequency shift magnetic resonance protocol, wherein the memory further contains calibration pulse sequence commands, wherein the calibration pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire phase calibration magnetic resonance data according to the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol, wherein execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to:

acquire the phase calibration magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with the calibration pulse sequence commands before controling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume, and

calculate a phase calibration using the phase calibration magnetic resonance data, wherein the temperature map is calculated using the thermal magnetic resonance data and the phase calibration.

17 . The medical instrument of claim 3 , wherein the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol is a proton resonance frequency shift magnetic resonance protocol, wherein the memory further contains calibration pulse sequence commands, wherein the calibration pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire phase calibration magnetic resonance data according to the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol, wherein execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to:

acquire the phase calibration magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with the calibration pulse sequence commands before controling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume, and

calculate a phase calibration using the phase calibration magnetic resonance data, wherein the temperature map is calculated using the thermal magnetic resonance data and the phase calibration.

18 . The medical instrument of claim 4 , wherein the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol is a proton resonance frequency shift magnetic resonance protocol, wherein the memory further contains calibration pulse sequence commands, wherein the calibration pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire phase calibration magnetic resonance data according to the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol, wherein execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to:

acquire the phase calibration magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with the calibration pulse sequence commands before controling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume, and

calculate a phase calibration using the phase calibration magnetic resonance data, wherein the temperature map is calculated using the thermal magnetic resonance data and the phase calibration.

19 . The medical instrument of claim 5 , wherein the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol is a proton resonance frequency shift magnetic resonance protocol, wherein the memory further contains calibration pulse sequence commands, wherein the calibration pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire phase calibration magnetic resonance data according to the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol, wherein execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to:

acquire the phase calibration magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with the calibration pulse sequence commands before controling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume, and

calculate a phase calibration using the phase calibration magnetic resonance data, wherein the temperature map is calculated using the thermal magnetic resonance data and the phase calibration.

20 . The medical instrument of claim 4 , wherein selecting the next target volume at least partially using the estimated near field temperature map for each of the multiple target volumes comprises modifying the sonication commands to shut off transducer elements selected from multiple transducer elements that contribute to the heating of the high temperature zone.

21 . The medical instrument of claim 20 , wherein the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol is a proton resonance frequency shift magnetic resonance protocol, wherein the memory further contains calibration pulse sequence commands, wherein the calibration pulse sequence commands cause the magnetic resonance imaging system to acquire phase calibration magnetic resonance data according to the magnetic resonance imaging thermometry protocol, wherein execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to:

acquire the phase calibration magnetic resonance data by controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system with the calibration pulse sequence commands before controling the high intensity focused ultrasound system to sonicate the current target volume, and

calculate a phase calibration using the phase calibration magnetic resonance data, wherein the temperature map is calculated using the thermal magnetic resonance data and the phase calibration.