Thermal dose optimization method for ultrasound surgery

In this paper, a model-based optimization method is derived to control the thermal dose in biological tissues for ultrasound surgery. The optimization method uses the bioheat equation as a system model and quadratic cost criteria for the desired thermal dose. Time-harmonic quasi-stationary ultrasound fields are used as the heat source. In this method the optimal phase and the amplitude trajectories are found directly by minimizing the associated cost function. The approach also allows for maximum input amplitude constraints. The method is based on the Hamiltonian form of the system and results in a large dimensional nonlinear optimization problem which is solved with a gradient-type iterative scheme. The performance of the optimization method is tested with 2D simulations and it is shown that the approach is able to yield a feasible nominal solution. This nominal evolution would then eventually be sought to be maintained with the help of a feedback controller during the actual sonication.