# Aberration Correction for Histotripsy Ablation of Liver

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2024 · $559,105

## Abstract

Abstract
Histotripsy is an ultrasound surgical technique for non-invasive ablation of tissue that uses very intense bursts
of focused acoustic energy to mechanically fracture tissue through cavitation. A pilot clinical trial for liver ablation
has shown safety, efficacy, and good tolerance by patients while larger multi-site trials are currently underway.
This proposal seeks to solve two key limitations with current technology that will hinder widespread clinical use
of histotripsy ablation for a diverse range of patients. The first is targeting. Cavitation bubbles producing the
histotripsy therapeutic effect are directly visible with high sensitivity and contrast on ultrasound imaging.
However, prior to the initiation of therapy, the precise target location has an uncertainty on the order of several
millimeters due to refraction of the acoustic field from variations in sound speed. Aim 1 achieves this goal by
developing an ultrasound imaging sequence to directly visualize the histotripsy focus without producing
cavitation. The second limitation is aberration. In addition to focal shifts from refraction, tissue sound speed
heterogeneity reduces the peak amplitude of a histotripsy sound field. Measurements and acoustic simulations
show significant amplitude reductions that would be recovered using aberration correction (AC) techniques.
Simulations further suggest that even the highest performance transducer technology will have a limited
treatment envelope when targeting a diverse range of patients. For aim 2, we will optimize an AC technique for
histotripsy to recover this lost focal pressure and determine the best practices for use when ablating tissue
volumes . For aim 3, we will validate both techniques in human cadavers and use the results to calibrate further
acoustic simulations. Calibrated simulations will allow comprehensive studies in a diverse range of subjects and
facilitate designing the next generation of optimized transducer arrays for histotripsy ablation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10878064
- **Project number:** 1R01CA282200-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Timothy L Hall
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $559,105
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-01 → 2029-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10878064

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10878064, Aberration Correction for Histotripsy Ablation of Liver (1R01CA282200-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10878064. Licensed CC0.

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