Correlations between B-mode ultrasonic image texture features and tissue temperature in microwave ablation

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• Microwave ablation is a minimally invasive thermal ablation technique.
• Accurate temperature monitoring is crucial for effective and safe microwave ablation.
• B-mode ultrasound is a widely available imaging modality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between B-mode ultrasonic tissue texture features and tissue temperature during microwave ablation.
• To determine if texture features can serve as indicators of temperature changes in liver tissue.

Main Methods:

• Porcine liver samples underwent microwave ablation with B-mode ultrasound imaging.
• Texture features (MGS, ENT, CON, ASM, IDM, correlation) were extracted from differential images.
• Correlations between features and temperature were analyzed; validation via water bath heating.

Main Results:

• High correlation coefficients (>0.9) observed between specific texture features (MGS, ENT, ASM, CON, IDM) and temperature (15°C–90°C) during ablation.
• Texture features of differential B-mode images showed changes with temperature increases (25°C–60°C) in water bath experiments.

Conclusions:

• B-mode ultrasonic tissue texture features exhibit strong correlations with tissue temperature.
• Changes in these image features effectively reflect temperature variations during microwave ablation.