Proton Resonance Frequency Shift Thermometry: A Review of Modern Clinical Practices

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has become a popular modality in guiding minimally invasive thermal therapies, due to its advanced, non-ionizing, imaging capabilities and its ability to record changes in temperature. A variety of MR thermometry techniques have been developed over the years, and Proton Resonance Frequency (PRF) Shift Thermometry is the current clinical gold standard to treat a variety of cancers. It is used extensively to guide hyperthermic thermal ablation techniques such as high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and laser-induced thermal therapy (LITT). Essential attributes of PRF Shift Thermometry include excellent linearity with temperature, good sensitivity, and independence from tissue type. This non-invasive temperature mapping method gives accurate quantitative measures of the temperature evolution inside biological tissues. In this review, the current status and new developments in the fields of MR-guided HIFU and LITT are presented with an emphasis on breast, prostate, bone, uterine and brain treatments.