A rapid magnetic resonance acoustic radiation force imaging sequence for ultrasonic refocusing.

Magnetic resonance guided acoustic radiation force imaging (MR-ARFI) is being used to correct for aberrations induced by tissue heterogeneities when using high intensity focusing ultrasound (HIFU). A compromise between published MR-ARFI adaptive solutions is proposed to achieve efficient refocusing of the ultrasound beam in under 10 min. In addition, an ARFI sequence based on an EPI gradient echo sequence was used to simultaneously monitor displacement and temperature with a large SNR and low distortion.

Ultrasound-Guided Transesophageal High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Cardiac Ablation in a Beating Heart: A Pilot Feasibility Study in Pigs.

Catheter ablation for the treatment of arrhythmia is associated with significant complications and often-repeated procedures. Consequently, a less invasive and more efficient technique is required. Because high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) enables the generation of precise thermal ablations in deep-seated tissues without harming the tissues in the propagation path, it has the potential to be used as a new ablation technique.

Cardiac shear-wave elastography using a transesophageal transducer: application to the mapping of thermal lesions in ultrasound transesophageal cardiac ablation.

Heart rhythm disorders, such as atrial fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia can be treated by catheter-based thermal ablation. However, clinically available systems based on radio-frequency or cryothermal ablation suffer from limited energy penetration and the lack of lesion's extent monitoring. An ultrasound-guided transesophageal device has recently successfully been used to perform High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) ablation in targeted regions of the heart in vivo.