Absolute MR Thermometry for Near-Field Monitoring During MR-HIFU Heating

Mie Kee Lam¹, Martijn de Greef¹, Lambertus W. Bartels

In the application of MR-guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (MR-HIFU) to organs in the abdomen, the near-field area is at risk of undesired heat accumulation. Therefore, there is a need for a temperature mapping technique that can visualize the cumulative near field heating effects of subsequent sonications. In this work we show the potential of using multi-gradient echo (mGE)-based absolute MR thermometry at the subcutaneous fat-muscle interface for the assessment of the thermal build-up in the near-field area.