Temperature Distribution Mapping Using an FBG-Equipped Probe for Solid Tumor Laser Ablation

In recent years, laser ablation treatments have become promising therapies for early-stage solid tumors, although the anatomical variability within the irradiated organs (i.e., presence of blood vessels and other inhomogeneities) greatly challenges the control of the tissue temperature throughout the medical procedure and thus the optical therapeutic outcome. To help getting around these limitations, a new fiber optic probe able to both deliver the laser light with optimal irradiation pattern and measure the temperature in the tumor region had been previously developed. This paper, using simulations validated with experimental data, aims at demonstrating how this probe, combined with suitable hyperthermal treatment planning, can be used to overcome the discrepancies between ex-vivo and in-vivo laser ablation procedures.