High-resolution, high-contrast ultrasound imaging using a prototype dual-frequency transducer: In vitro and in vivo studies
| Autor: | F. Stuart Foster, Marc Lukacs, Mike Lee, Ryan C. Gessner, Paul A. Dayton, Emmanuel Cherin |
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| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: |
Materials science
Acoustics and Ultrasonics media_common.quotation_subject Transducers Contrast Media Image processing Kidney Signal Article Renal Circulation Rats Sprague-Dawley Optics Animals Contrast (vision) Electrical and Electronic Engineering Muscle Skeletal Instrumentation Image resolution Ultrasound energy Ultrasonography media_common Microbubbles Phantoms Imaging business.industry Rats Transducer Cattle Ultrasonic sensor business Blood Flow Velocity Biomedical engineering |
| Zdroj: | IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control. 57:1772-1781 |
| ISSN: | 0885-3010 |
| Popis: | With recent advances in animal models of disease, there has been great interest in capabilities for high-resolution contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging. Microbubble contrast agents are unique in that they scatter broadband ultrasound energy because of their nonlinear behavior. For optimal response, it is desirable to excite the microbubbles near their resonant frequency. To date, this has been challenging with high-frequency imaging systems because most contrast agents are resonant at frequencies in the order of several megahertz. Our team has developed a unique dual-frequency confocal transducer which enables low-frequency excitation of bubbles near their resonance with one element, and detection of their emitted high-frequency content with the second element. Using this imaging approach, we have attained an average 12.3 dB improvement in contrast-to-tissue ratios over fundamental mode imaging, with spatial resolution near that of the high-frequency element. Because this detection method does not rely on signal decorrelation, it is not susceptible to corruption by tissue motion. This probe demonstrates contrast imaging capability with significant tissue suppression, enabling high-resolution contrast-enhanced images of microvascular blood flow. Additionally, this probe can readily produce radiation force on flowing contrast agents, which may be beneficial for targeted imaging or therapy. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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