Bley, F: Hyperthermia

Cancer is one of the most frequent causes of death in Europe, only exceeded by different forms of cardiac insufficiency and apoplectic stroke with an increasing tendency. This is why there is the need to find alternative or complementary ways to treat this disease. A very promising way of treating malignant tumours is hyperthermia. The book gives a detailed overview about hyperthermia. The introduction into the history is followed by listing different forms of hyperthermia. Different ways to generate heat are introduced subsequently. After a detailed introduction into ultrasound principles there is an investigation in modelling transducer arrays to get desired ultrasonic fields. A way to simulate arrays is elucidated, this involves the introduction of UltraSim, a software add-on for Matlab. The simulation is verified with an existing device. The work concludes with an assessment of the findings. The book is meant for clinicians and scientist who have interest in hyperthermia induced by ultrasound but also for interested patients looking for a better understanding of history, effectiveness and the different types of hyperthermia.