A Survey of Computer Simulations of Hyperthermia Treatments

This paper is a review of the state-of-the-art of-a new-area in hyperthermia: computerized simulations of hyperthermia treatments. One of the more difficult problems in hyperthermia is the determination of the complete temperature field throughout both tumor and normal tissue. Theoretical methods, of estimating temperature distributions are needed to help address this problem. In this paper we divide this field into four areas: comparative, prospective, concurrent, and retrospective. We then summarize the mathematical formulations of both the electromagnetic and ultrasonic power deposition problems and the heat transfer problem. This is followed by a review of the numerical techniques available for calculating the power deposition in the tissue and then finding the resulting temperature distribution. The paper concludes with a description of a series of applications drawn from the current literature.