Temperature-change-based thermal tomography.

Thermal properties of biological tissues play a critical role in the study of tumor angiogenesis and the design and monitoring of thermal therapies. To map thermal parameters noninvasively, we propose temperature-change-based thermal tomography (TTT) that relies on relative temperature mapping using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our approach is unique in two aspects: (1) the steady-state body temperature in thermal equilibrium is not restricted to be spatially invariant, and (2) absolute temperature mapping is not required. These two features are physiologically realistic and technically convenient. Our numerical simulation indicates that a (9 mm)(3) tumor inside a breast phantom can be reliably depicted, assuming moderate temperature mapping accuracy of 0.5 degrees C.