Assessment method of coagulation spot connectivity with localized motion imaging to reduce the risk of local recurrence

A real-time ultrasound (US) coagulation monitoring for coagulation based on acoustic radiation force is described. US imaging to facilitate HIFU has advantages with respect to portability, cost effectiveness and spatiotemporal resolution. Localized motion imaging (LMI) is one of the techniques based on US to detect a change of tissue mechanical properties caused by its thermal coagulation. To achieve both spatial accuracy and wide treatment area, intermittent exposure and focal shift method with sharp HIFU beam is generally used. In this paper, our purpose is to establish an assessment method of coagulation possibility between consecutive focal spots based on vibration profile caused by focal oscillation to reduce the risk of local recurrence.