Impact of 3D Temperature Probe Localization Variability on MR Thermometry Validation for RF Hyperthermia

Matthew Tarasek¹, Lorne Hofstetter¹, Ruben Pellicer², Jurriaan Bakker², Wouter Numan², Gyula Kotek², Eric Fiveland³, Gavin Houston⁴, Gerard van Rhoon², Maarten Paulides², Desmond Yeo¹

Validation of MR thermometry (MRT) for RF hyperthermia in a head and neck clinical setup requires accurate co-registration of the inserted temperature probes to MRT data. Here, we explore the use of MR imaging techniques and 3D spline fitting for probe localization. In addition, we investigate how uncertainty in the localization affects the registration of probe and MRT readings. Findings show that a maximum operator-dependent temperature probe placement variability of 2mm along the catheter length accounts for at most a 0.5 degree temperature uncertainty in the MRT maps.