A method for simultaneous RF ablation and MRI

Abstract

Radiofrequency (RF) energy has many advantages in thermal tumor ablation protocols. With the recent development of open MRI systems, interventional MR procedures, including thermal oblation, have become the focus of great research interest. However, the significant interference between RF generators and MR imagers has prevented simultaneous imaging and RF oblation and, until now, has limited the role of RF-based thermal therapy in interventional MRI. Here, a simple switching circuit designed with consideration of patient safety provides compatibility between open MRI systems and RF thermal lesion generators. The experimental results show that the switching circuit allows imaging during RF ablation and opens new opportunity for MR-guided thermal therapy.