A numerical analysis of a focused ultrasound technique to measure perfusion.

A noninvasive technique to measure perfusion using a focused ultrasound heating source and a thermistor placed on the surface of a tissue is proposed. The method is numerically examined in a model of the canine kidney. The perfusion measurement is shown to depend on several transducer and tissue thermal properties. A two level fractional factorial design simulation is used to map out a parameter value combination that maximizes the sensitivity of the measurement. A technique to numerically assess the uncertainty in the measurement due to uncertainties in the tissue and transducer parameter values is also described. The effects of the medulla and a subcapsular surface layer in the kidney are examined. It is determined that the maximum error in the measured perfusion rate due to all the factors considered is 17 percent for a kidney with a nominal perfusion rate of 300 mL/100g-min and a surface layer of 0.04 cm thickness.