Systems and methods for predicting a phase correction of ultrasound waves transmitted from one or more transducer elements and traversing a patient's skull into a target region utilizing data of the patient's skull include predicting a first beam path of the ultrasound waves traversing the skull based at least in part on the target location； computationally determining structural characteristics of the skull along the first beam path based on the acquired imaging data； and predicting a second beam path of the ultrasound waves traversing the skull based at least in part on the determined structural characteristics, thereby accounting for refraction resulting from the skull.
