Advances in MR image-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy

The clinical role of magnetic resonance image-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) is rapidly expanding due to its merit of non-invasiveness. MR thermometry based on a proton resonance frequency shift technique is able to accurately measure HIFU-induced temperature changes, which provides considerable advantages over ultrasonography-guided HIFU in terms of safety and therapeutic efficacy. Recent studies and the resulting technological advances in MR-HIFU such as MR thermometry for moving organs, MR-acoustic radiation force imaging, and a volumetric mild hyperthermia technique further will expand its clinical roles from mere ablation therapy to targeted drug delivery and chemo- or radio-sensitisation for cancer treatment. In this article, MR-HIFU therapy is comprehensively reviewed with an emphasis on the roles of MR imaging in HIFU therapy, techniques of MR monitoring, recent advances in clinical MR-HIFU systems, and potential future applications of MR-HIFU therapy. In addition, the pros and cons of MR-HIFU when compared with ultrasonography-guided HIFU are discussed.