The SonoKnife is a scan-able high intensity line-focused ultrasound device for thermal ablation (52 - 60°C) of
superficially located advanced tumors or nodal disease in the head and neck. Based on preliminary simulation results, a
prototype cylindrical section transducer operating at 3.5 MHz, with a 60 mm radius of curvature, an elevation of 30 mm
and an aperture of 60 mm, was constructed for laboratory testing. The three-dimensional distribution of the acoustic field
was measured in water and compared to preliminary numerical results. Ablation experiments were performed in gel
phantoms, in porcine liver ex vivo and in live piglets. The experimental results agreed well with the theoretical
simulations and showed that the SonoKnife transducer had a narrow acoustic edge and is able to ablate living biological
tissues at practical power levels.
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