Utility of Optical Monitoring During Laser Thermal Therapy

Interstitial laser photo coagulation (ILP), alternatively referred to as laser thermal therapy (LTT) is a promising treatment modality that utilizes an optically-induced temperature rise to thermally destroy tumors. One of the challenges of this therapy is its dynamic nature, as tissue properties (optical, thermal, blood flow, etc) change during therapy, hence making pre-treatment planning very challenging. This added complexity necessitates the use of real-time, on-line feedback. Here, we propose the use of interstitial optical fiber sensors for this purpose, and describe different changes in their detected optical signals as a function of various important events that occur in the course of LTT. The advantages of such optical monitoring approach, as well as the challenges, are described in the context of LTT optimization.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.