System and method for correlating proton resonance frequency thermometry with tissue temperatures

A system comprising:

• a magnetic resonance (MR) safe temperature probe comprising a temperature sensor;
• a bone anchor fixture configured to maintain a target distance between the MR safe temperature probe and the laser diffusion fiber (LDF), wherein the target distance is configured to reduce or minimize an effect of optical interference generated by the LDF to facilitate tissue temperature measurements adjacent the MR safe temperature probe without significant distortion when the LDF is activated;
• a processor to:
• perform proton resonance frequency shift (PRF) thermometry on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to generate a temperature model indicating calculated temperatures for pixels in a magnetic resonance image;
• receive measured temperature data from the MR safe temperature probe;
• correlate a pixel in the magnetic resonance image with a location of the temperature sensor;
• compare a calculated temperature of the pixel from the temperature model with the measured temperature data from the MR safe temperature probe at the location;
• and
• determine when a difference between the calculated temperature and the measured temperature data at the location exceeds a threshold, wherein when the threshold is exceeded, the processor causes an intervening action to occur;
• wherein the processor is further configured to record a time stamp associated with the calculated temperature and the measured temperature data and compare the calculated temperature and the measured temperature data of the pixel across time.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a temperature control system cause the temperature control system to:

• perform proton resonance frequency shift (PRF) thermometry on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to generate a temperature model indicating calculated temperatures for pixels in a magnetic resonance image;
• receive measured temperature data from a magnetic resonance (MR) safe temperature probe comprising a temperature sensor;
• correlate a pixel in the magnetic resonance image with a location of the temperature sensor;
• compare a calculated temperature of the pixel from the temperature model with the measured temperature data at the location from the MR safe temperature probe;
• and
• determine when a difference between the calculated temperature and the measured temperature data at the location exceeds a threshold, wherein when the threshold is exceeded, cause an intervening action to occur;
• wherein the intervening action is chosen based on an amount of excess of the calculated temperature over the threshold,
• wherein for a greater excess the intervening action comprises transmitting a control signal to a laser ablation system to cause the laser ablation system to stop emitting a laser output, and
• wherein for a smaller excess the intervening action comprises updating the temperature model based on the measured temperature data at the location.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a temperature control system cause the temperature control system to:

• perform proton resonance frequency shift (PRF) thermometry on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to generate a temperature model indicating calculated temperatures for pixels in a magnetic resonance image;
• receive measured temperature data from a magnetic resonance (MR) safe temperature probe comprising a temperature sensor;
• correlate a pixel in the magnetic resonance image with a location of the temperature sensor;
• compare a calculated temperature of the pixel from the temperature model with the measured temperature data at the location from the MR safe temperature probe;
• and
• determine when a difference between the calculated temperature and the measured temperature data at the location exceeds a threshold,
• wherein when the threshold is exceeded, cause an intervening action to occur,
• wherein the instructions are further to cause the temperature control system to:
• track a second calculated temperature with a second pixel, wherein the second pixel is at a second location removed from the MR safe temperature probe;
• compare the second calculated temperature of the second pixel from the temperature model with the measured temperature data at the location from the MR safe temperature probe;
• and
• determine when a temperature delta between the second calculated temperature and the measured temperature data at the location exceeds a second threshold,
• wherein when the second threshold is exceeded, cause the intervening action to occur.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a temperature control system cause the temperature control system to:

• perform proton resonance frequency shift (PRF) thermometry on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to generate a temperature model indicating calculated temperatures for pixels in a magnetic resonance image;
• receive measured temperature data from a magnetic resonance (MR) safe temperature probe comprising a temperature sensor;
• correlate a pixel in the magnetic resonance image with a location of the temperature sensor;
• compare a calculated temperature of the pixel from the temperature model with the measured temperature data at the location from the MR safe temperature probe;
• and
• determine when a difference between the calculated temperature and the measured temperature data at the location exceeds a threshold,
• wherein when the threshold is exceeded, cause an intervening action to occur, wherein the instructions are further to cause the temperature control system to:
• record a time stamp associated with the calculated temperature and the measured temperature data at the location;
• and
• compare the calculated temperature and the measured temperature data of the pixel across time.

A method for temperature control for tumor ablation, the method comprising:

• performing proton resonance frequency shift (PRF) thermometry on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to generate a temperature model indicating calculated temperatures for pixels in a magnetic resonance image;
• receiving measured temperature data from a magnetic resonance (MR) safe temperature sensor;
• correlating a pixel in the magnetic resonance image with a location of the MR safe temperature sensor;
• comparing a calculated temperature of the pixel from the temperature model with the measured temperature data at the location from the MR safe temperature sensor;
• and
• determining when a difference between the calculated temperature and the measured temperature data at the location exceeds a threshold, wherein when the threshold is exceeded, cause an intervening action to occur;
• wherein the MR safe temperature sensor comprises a fluoroptic sensor whose fluorescence changes in response to temperature.