News

E-learning course: Temperature measurements under ultrasound exposure

e-learning concept photo

New devices and techniques for precise delivery of combined cancer treatments

E-learning course

This free-of-charge e-learning course Temperature measurements under ultrasound exposure covers the fundamentals of temperature measurements under ultrasound exposures. It is intended for medical physics researchers, students, industry and clinicians working in medical ultrasound.

The lectures are provided by international experts in the field, coming from academia, clinics and metrology. The course is composed of 12 lectures divided into 4 modules, which are:

Introduction – addresses why it is important to have an understanding of temperature increase during ultrasound exposure, and the main technical challenges to measure the temperature.

Background - discussions about the regulatory framework, the exploitation of temperature increases in clinics and the role of simulations.
Technical solutions for laboratory measurements - covers laboratory measurements, using tissue mimicking materials as phantom components and as temperature sensors themselves. It also looks at the use of thermocouples and infrared camera, the two most common methods to measure temperature under ultrasound exposure.
Technical measurements for clinical measurements - introduces the two methods currently employed to measure temperature increase in clinics under ultrasound exposure, namely magnetic resonance thermometry and ultrasound thermography.

Although the whole course will provide a wide overview of the topic, the videos are independent and can be watched separately. At the end of each module there is a questionnaire which covers the most relevant aspects discussed in the videos.

The project

Completed EMPIR project Radiotherapy coupled with hyperthermia - adapting the biological equivalent dose concept (18HLT06, RaCHy) developed new calibration devices, a new measurement framework and measurement techniques for combined radiotherapy and heat therapies (hyperthermia). Biological mechanisms were assessed, for controlled and reproducible delivery of radiation and hyperthermia, and patient-specific prescriptions. Combinations of radiotherapies were compared with different hyperthermia treatments, with and without heat, to quantify a dose modifying factor.

The work of this project results in improved capabilities for researchers and the expansion of the radiotherapy device market. For cancer patients, this should mean less invasive treatments and, above all, better chances of survival and improved quality of life.

Project Coordinator Giovanni Durando from INRIM said

‘I am proud I had the chance to have been the coordinator of this EMPIR project. Thanks to fantastic partners and colleagues, the RaCHy consortium was able to achieve all the project’s deliverables and goals.

I think it was one of the first times that a group of national metrological institutes have participated in experiments for cancer research.

Thanks to the strong connection with normative committees, the consortium has made the method and techniques used for the characterisations performed in laboratories. On the other hand, thanks to the partnerships with different international cancer research institutes, the methods developed to obtain a greater synergistic effect from the combination of radiotherapy and hyperthermia were widely discussed and presented in the stakeholder workshops oriented to the final end-user’.

This EMPIR project is co-funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the EMPIR Participating States.

Want to hear more about EURAMET?