Feasibility of MRI-guided transurethral thermal therapy for prostate cancer

A control algorithm has been developed for MRI-guided conformal thermal therapy of the prostate gland with transurethral ultrasound heating applicators. The ability of the algorithm to produce conformal thermal damage patterns was evaluated using prostate boundaries obtained from clinical MR images and bioheat transfer simulations of the heating process. The algorithm enabled the generation of conformal thermal damage patterns with an error of less than 3 mm across eleven prostates. Treatment times ranged from 12-45 minutes depending on prostate size. Rectal cooling may be important in protecting the rectal wall from unwanted thermal damage.