Breast MR guided FUS Modeling with Convection

Incorporating convective boundary conditions to a focused ultrasound (FUS) heat transfer model will support the development of a skin cooling device for FUS breast cancer therapies. This skin cooling device has the potential to allow FUS to target tumors closer to the skin surface with a lowered risk of skin burns.

The objectives of this project are to:
1) Develop a new heat transfer computational model simulating MRgFUS treatment
scenarios accounting for water motion over the skin surface.
2) Validate this model with previously collected MRI temperature data from the University of
Utah and compare the new computational model to the lab’s previous model.
3) Communicate findings in a published journal paper and use the data to support a future
collaborative grant proposal between Brigham Young University and the University of Utah.