The monopole-source solution for estimating tissue temperature increases for focused ultrasound fields

The monopole-source solution to the problem of estimating tissue temperature rise generated by a focused ultrasound beam is presented. The acoustic pressure field generated by a focused, continuous-wave ultrasound source using the acoustic monopole-source method is developed. The point-source solution to the linear bio-heat transfer equation is used to calculate the axial, steady-state temperature increase for both circular and rectangular apertures. The results of the circular aperture are compared with the temperature increase calculated using the heated-disc method and are shown to be in substantial agreement. Finally, the temperature increase generated by the circular aperture is compared to that of the rectangular aperture for the same source power, aperture surface area, operating frequency, and medium properties, and it is shown that the rectangular source generates temperature increases less than those of the circular source under these conditions.