Validation and optimization of focused ultrasound therapy

by Mr Ibrahim Elbialy

Thursday Jul 13, 2023, 2:00 PM → 2:45 PM Europe/Berlin

https://kit-lecture.zoom.us/j/66576224235?pwd=dXgwdDdsSHNCZ2poMGVGNytKL1Fqdz09 (R413 & Zoom)

Lecture to the bachelor thesis from Ibrahim Elbialy on the Topic: Validation and optimization of focused ultrasound therapy

Cases of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease are on the rise and effect millions of the world’s aging population. While there is yet no definite cure, an increased understanding of these diseases opens the gates for various methods for neurodegeneration treatment. These methods vary from invasive treatment to non-invasive. Currently, treatments by medication for these diseases are limited by the blood-brain barrier, which prevents the drugs from reaching the central nervous system. However, focused ultrasound has emerged as a promising non-invasive technique of treatment of such diseases by opening the blood-brain barrier using cavitation and allowing drugs to reach the central nervous system of the brain.

This thesis focuses on the optimization and validation of a simulation tool for pre-therapy planning to optimize the use of focused ultrasound in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The optimization takes place by comparing the results taken from measurements with real mouse skulls with the simulation results and adjusting the simulation parameters to best fit the results from the real world.

First the acoustic field of the transducer needed to be characterized before the measurements to determine the position and size of the focal zone as well as the pressure created in said zone. Then the measurement results could give insight about the loss of acoustic pressure caused by the skull. And finally, the simulation could be run and its parameters modified to generate results similar to the measurement results from the real world.

Lecture language: English