Bladder cooling in patients treated with regional hyperthermia of the pelvis using an annular phased array.

Regional hyperthermia for the treatment of deep seated tumors is often limited by excessive heating of normal tissues, usually with associated patient pain and/or discomfort. The use of bladder cooling via perfusion of distilled water through a modified tri-lumen irrigation catheter as an aid to circumventing this problem in one anatomical region is described. This relatively simple technique provided rapid pain relief and permitted completion of the hyperthermia treatment in a satisfactory manner. Modifications of this technique may permit selective heating and/or cooling of the bladder during regional hyperthermia treatments in the pelvis.