Temperature simulations in tissue with a realistic computer generated vessel network

Phys Med Biol. 2000 Apr;45(4):1035-49. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/45/4/317.

Abstract

The practical use of a discrete vessel thermal model for hyperthermia treatment planning requires a number of choices with respect to the unknown part of the patient's vasculature. This work presents a study of the thermal effects of blood flow in a simple tissue geometry with a detailed artificial vessel network. The simulations presented here demonstrate that an incomplete discrete description of the detailed network results in a better prediction of the temperature distribution than is obtained using the conventional bio-heatsink equation. Therefore, efforts to obtain information on the positions of the large vessels in an individual hyperthermia patient will be rewarded with a more accurate prediction of the temperature distribution.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arteries / physiology
  • Blood Flow Velocity
  • Computer Simulation*
  • Hot Temperature
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Models, Biological
  • Temperature*
  • Veins / physiology