2,911
Views
35
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Thermochromic tissue-mimicking phantom for optimisation of thermal tumour ablation

, , , , , & show all
Pages 239-243 | Received 27 Nov 2015, Accepted 20 Jan 2016, Published online: 20 Apr 2016
 

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to (1) develop a novel tissue-mimicking thermochromic (TMTC) phantom that permanently changes colour from white to magenta upon heating above ablative temperatures, and (2) assess its utility for specific applications in evaluating thermal therapy devices.

Materials and methods Polyacrylamide gel mixed with thermochromic ink was custom made to produce a TMTC phantom that changes its colour upon heating above biological ablative temperatures (> 60 °C). The thermal properties of the phantom were characterised, and compared to those of human tissue. In addition, utility of this phantom as a tool for the assessment of laser and microwave thermal ablation was examined.

Results The mass density, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity of the TMTC phantom were measured as 1033 ± 1.0 kg/m3, 0.590 ± 0.015 W/m.K, and 0.145 ± 0.002 mm2/s, respectively, and found to be in agreement with reported values for human soft tissues. Heating the phantom with laser and microwave ablation devices produced clearly demarcated regions of permanent colour change geographically corresponding to regions with temperature elevations above 60 °C.

Conclusion The TMTC phantom provides direct visualisation of ablation dynamics, including ablation volume and geometry as well as peak absolute temperatures within the treated region post-ablation. This phantom can be specifically tailored for different thermal therapy modalities, such as radiofrequency, laser, microwave, or therapeutic ultrasound ablation. Such modality-specific phantoms may enable better quality assurance, device characterisation, and ablation parameter optimisation, or optimise the study of dynamic heating parameters integral to drug device combination therapies relying upon heat.

Acknowledgements

We thank Fil Banovac, Ankur Kapoor, and Roxanna Juarez for their contributions to this study.

Disclosure statement

A.H.N., A.S.M., S.X., N.A.-J., S.M. and B.J.W. have no conflict of interest to declare. A. P. is a paid employee of Philips. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.