Real-time temperature monitoring and estimation of thermal damage in pancreas undergoing magnetic resonance-guided laser ablation: First in vivo study

Thermal therapies are minimally invasive procedures used to locally remove tumor in several organs by means of cytotoxic temperature. Among several techniques, laser ablation (LA) is appreciated for the possibility to be performed by flexible optical fibers, hence to be coupled with MR imaging for procedure guidance. In this work, we present the first in vivo trial on pig pancreas undergoing LA and simultaneous multipoint temperature monitoring by means of fiber optic sensors (Fiber Bragg gratings -FBGs-). The clinical procedure has been performed through percutaneous access to the pancreas. The optical output of the FBGs, measuring both the temperature evolution and the breathing movement, is post-processed to neglect possible artifacts on the signal. Temperature data were also employed to estimate the thermal dose induced within the pancreas. The findings of this study may be useful for the definition of the safe LA to the patients, and allow understanding the effects of the laser light on the pancreatic tissue, paving the way for a controlled therapy in clinical settings.