Invasive Thermometry Techniques

Abstract

Several reviews of invasive thermometry for clinical hyperthermia have previously appeared in the literature (Cetas et al. 1980; Cetas 1982, 1985, 1987, 1990; Fessenden et al. 1984; Hand 1985; Martin 1986; Samulski 1988; Samulski and Fessenden 1990). Since the latest reviews appeared, there has been little advancement in the development of thermometers for invasive thermometry, but several papers have appeared which focus on improving the quality and standardization of thermometry (Dewhirst et al. 1990; Emami et al. 1991; Sapozink et al. 1991; Waterman et al. 1991). These papers report the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (ROTG) task force's recommendations for improving thermometry for multi-institutional trials, but many of the general concepts and guidelines presented are applicable to nonprotocol treatments. In general, there has been an impetus to obtain more temperature data during therapy to describe more completely the three-dimensional temperature field and for evaluation of thermal descriptors which have been found to be of prognostic significance. Measurements of temperature at a few fixed points are no longer considered adequate. Instead, it is recomnended that catheters and thermal mapping techniques be used in connection with standardized catheter placement strategies.