Nonlinear derating method for high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) fields

In this work, a new derating method to extrapolate nonlinear ultrasound fields in water to biological tissue is proposed and tested for therapeutic medical systems. Focal values of acoustic field parameters in absorptive tissue are obtained from a numerical solution to a KZK-type equation and are compared to those derated, using the proposed method, from the results of simulations in water. It is validated in modeling that for high gain sources, which are typically used for therapeutic medical applications, the focal field parameters in tissue can be obtained from the results obtained in water. The feasibility of the derating method is also demonstrated experimentally in water and excised bovine liver tissue using a 2 MHz HIFU source of 44 mm aperture and focal length.