超声动态向量血流成像的产品化实现

传统超声彩色多普勒成像测量的是血流沿超声传播方向上的速度分量,故无法得到垂直于超声传播方向的血流。向量血流成像是一种更加先进的超声血流成像技术。它不受角度限制,可以直接计算出血流速度的大小和方向。本文总结了现有多种超声向量血流成像技术的特点和发展情况,并从产品化实现的角度分析了各项技术的优缺点。从超声系统发射接收、血流成像、向量速度方向合成、显示等几个方面详述了迈瑞超声向量血流成像技术产品化实现过程中遇到的主要问题及解决方案。实验采用了中科院声学所研制的超声多普勒仿血流体模,通过向量血流成像和脉冲多普勒成像分别测量体模的仿血流速度。将向量血流成像直接计算出来的速度值与脉冲多普勒经过角度校正得到的速度进行对比。在不同条件下,经过多次测量,二者的平均相对误差均在10%以内。     

多角度复合的超声多普勒矢量血流成像

血流速度的精确测量对于研究心血管疾病和动脉粥样硬化斑块的形成至关重要,传统的彩色多普勒方法局限于获得沿超声束的速度分量,难以描绘复杂的血流运动.本文提出了一种多角度复合的超声多普勒方法,结合多角度复合技术来提升速度估算的准确度.该方法可以获取复杂血管内较为精确的二维速度矢量,实现血管内动态矢量血流成像.仿真结果表明,多角度复合有效地减小了速度估算的误差,提升图像的质量.颈动脉分叉仿体成像实验表明,该方法可以获得较为清楚的血管内速度矢量图像.定量分析结果表明5个角度复合方案能够准确估算血管内流量.本文提出的多角度复合的矢量多普勒具有可视化复杂血流和计算血流动力学参数的能力,在矢量血流成像方法中有重要潜力.     

无造影剂增强的超快超声脊髓微血管成像方法

微小血管及其血流实时成像对监测生物体血氧代谢等具有重要意义.在无微泡造影剂的情况下,传统超声多普勒技术仍较难实现高信噪比的微小血管成像.本研究提出了一种无造影剂增强的超快超声脊髓微血管成像方法.本研究从基于多角度复合平面波的高帧频成像技术出发,提出基于特征值分解的频率-幅值双阈值滤波法,从而将脊髓组织信号和微血流信号分离,可实现脊髓内微血流的动态成像.在体成像实验结果表明,无超声造影剂时,超快超声多普勒成像技术仍可获得较为清晰的大鼠脊髓内微血流的实时图像,并能够清晰地呈现脊髓受损所致的微血流缺失状况.定量分析结果表明,增大复合平面波角度数可有效提高图像的信噪比.综上,超快超声多普勒成像技术有潜力被应用于脊髓内微血管成像及功能实时监测与动态评价,相关结果可为脊髓功能成像方法的研究提供借鉴.     

基于超快超声多普勒的三维脑损伤成像方法研究

三维超声微血管成像可直观呈现血流信息,对于脑血管疾病诊断和治疗具有重要意义。本文旨在将超快超声成像技术、超快超声功率多普勒技术和机械扫描相结合,实现脑血管三维成像和脑缺血区域评价。通过工程实现,完成了可同步控制微型线性位移平台移动和超声阵列超快发射、高速采集与压缩存储的三维扫描数据采集序列与系统。利用GPU并行运算,高效实现了超声图像波束合成方法,对原始射频超声数据完成重建。进而,基于SVD杂波滤除技术,从重建三维超声数据中提取了脑部的动态小血管信号,并获得了各切面的功率多普勒成像和冠状面彩色多普勒超声小血管成像。最后,采用体素方法对三维脑血管进行重建。大鼠在体实验结果表明,该成像系统可用于三维脑血管网络在体成像,以及脑血管损伤区域定位与量化评价。本工作对脑病检测技术发展与诊断方法研究具有一定的借鉴意义。此外,相关检测系统和成像算法具有一定普适性,对其他富含微血流血管的组织检测也有一定的参考价值。     

超声造影剂研究进展

本文综述超声造影剂的现状及新进展，在简要介绍造影剂物理原理的基础上，对超声造影剂在医学超声领域尤其是低速血流测量与组织灌注成像中的应用进行了总结与讨论，并介绍了用于实验研究和第二期临床试验的国际上最新的超声造影剂的特点，制备技术与评价方法。     

“三维超声成像的方法学和临床应用研究”项目简介

该项目自1991年起进行了三维超声成像研究，立足国际前沿，取得较好的成绩。（1）1991年自行开发三维成像装置，国内最早重建静态薄壳型心脏三维图像；1994年率先研制出三维超声表面成像软件，首次建立肝脏静脉系统的三维灰阶及血管树图像。（2）1995年引进TomTec三维工作站，最先提出动态三维心脏多普勒血流灰阶成像方法；1996年研制了室壁运动三维定性和定量分析软件；1999年探讨三维彩色多普勒血流显像技术。（3）在国内率先对实时彩色三维超声成像在多种心脏疾病中的诊断价值进行了验证和评价。（4）确立了三维超声成像的最佳技术参数和基准参考切面，提出新的诊断标准。（5）参与制定《三维超声心动图检查指南》，使我国在该领域的研究始终与国外保持同步。     

超声双功能显象仪及其临床的初步应用

超声双功能显象仪是把超声切面显象和脉冲多普勒血流仪有机组合的新型超声诊断仪.它可以同时提供心脏二维实时显象和心血管内血流的脉冲多普勒实时频谱.取样容积可在二维图象监视下调节,定位准确;采集所需点血流的脉冲多普勒信号,经计算机作快速富里叶变换(FFT)分析处理,以频谱形式显示,为临床提供可靠的血流动力学资料.本文介绍了双功能显象仪的工作原理,讨论了脉冲多普勒频谱中各项参数的意义及临床用途,简述了这种仪器在心脏分流疾病诊断中的应用.     

激光散斑血流成像技术研究新进展

激光散斑血流成像(Laser Speckle Flowgraphy,LSFG)技术采用了生物医学领域血流变化监测的一种无需扫描全场光学成像方法,与其它技术相比具有一些独到的优点,其有效性已经在近20年中被众多的临床实例所证明。经过多年的发展,该方法在理论和系统上趋于完善和多样。系统地介绍了激光散斑血流成像技术的发展和基本原理,以及在理论研究方面和系统设计方面的研究进展,包括:速度分布模型、对比度分析算法、散斑大小与像素的匹配、曝光时间的选择等问题。     

激光散斑血流成像技术研究新进展

激光散斑血流成像(Laser Speckle Flowgraphy,LSFG)技术采用了生物医学领域血流变化监测的一种无需扫描全场光学成像方法,与其它技术相比具有一些独到的优点,其有效性已经在近20年中被众多的临床实例所证明。经过多年的发展,该方法在理论和系统上趋于完善和多样。系统地介绍了激光散斑血流成像技术的发展和基本原理,以及在理论研究方面和系统设计方面的研究进展,包括:速度分布模型、对比度分析算法、散斑大小与像素的匹配、曝光时间的选择等问题。     

腹腔镜激光散斑血流成像技术

激光散斑衬比成像(LSCI)技术广泛应用于大视场的组织表层血流成像,当需要实时在体监测生物体深层组织或腔内组织的血流分布及变化时,将LSCI与内镜成像技术结合是解决LSCI成像深度问题的有效途径。为此,搭建了商用腹腔镜LSCI成像系统,并对微流体仿体和兔子大肠进行成像。实验结果表明,所搭建的系统可以校正静态散射以及消除系统噪声对散斑衬比度的影响,利用单次曝光下的散斑衬比测量值可以实现血流的定量监测,该商用腹腔镜LSCI成像系统将具有重要的临床应用潜力。     

Research interface on a programmable ultrasound scanner

Motivation

Commercial ultrasound machines in the past did not provide the ultrasound researchers access to raw ultrasound data. Lack of this ability has impeded evaluation and clinical testing of novel ultrasound algorithms and applications.

Objectives

Recently, we developed a flexible ultrasound back-end where all the processing for the conventional ultrasound modes, such as B, M, color flow and spectral Doppler, was performed in software. The back-end has been incorporated into a commercial ultrasound machine, the Hitachi HiVision 5500. The goal of this work is to develop an ultrasound research interface on the back-end for acquiring raw ultrasound data from the machine.

Methods

The research interface has been designed as a software module on the ultrasound back-end. To increase the amount of raw ultrasound data that can be spooled in the limited memory available on the back-end, we have developed a method that can losslessly compress the ultrasound data in real time.

Results and discussion

The raw ultrasound data could be obtained in any conventional ultrasound mode, including duplex and triplex modes. Furthermore, use of the research interface does not decrease the frame rate or otherwise affect the clinical usability of the machine. The lossless compression of the ultrasound data in real time can increase the amount of data spooled by ∼2.3 times, thus allowing more than 6 s of raw ultrasound data to be acquired in all the modes. The interface has been used not only for early testing of new ideas with in vitro data from phantoms, but also for acquiring in vivo data for fine-tuning ultrasound applications and conducting clinical studies. We present several examples of how newer ultrasound applications, such as elastography, vibration imaging and 3D imaging, have benefited from this research interface. Since the research interface is entirely implemented in software, it can be deployed on existing HiVision 5500 ultrasound machines and may be easily upgraded in the future.

Conclusions

The developed research interface can aid researchers in the rapid testing and clinical evaluation of new ultrasound algorithms and applications. Additionally, we believe that our approach would be applicable to designing research interfaces on other ultrasound machines.     

Detection procedures of ultrasound contrast agents

In the early days, it was believed that ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) could be sufficiently detected and imaged with the conventional imaging methods nowadays referred to as fundamental imaging. Newer imaging techniques proved to be more sensitive and are based on specific properties of the UCA. In general, these new characteristics involve non-linear and transient characteristics of contrast agents that appear at the high end of the diagnostic acoustic intensity. Imaging modalities used today for UCA are, besides fundamental imaging, second harmonic imaging, power Doppler, harmonic power Doppler, pulse inversion and pulse inversion Doppler, multi-pulse imaging and subharmonic imaging. Although the results of conventional second harmonic imaging are still not optimal for perfusion imaging applications, in combination with Doppler techniques (colour Doppler, power Doppler) it is one of the most sensitive techniques currently available in terms of agent-to-tissue ratio. Further improvements in current and future detection methods demand a complete understanding of the ultrasound-UCA interaction.     

Contrast enhanced vascular three-dimensional ultrasound imaging

In other imaging modalities three-dimensional (3D) data displays are well established; not so in ultrasound. Due to the real-time requirements of ultrasound the time available to compute 3D displays is limited, particularly when flow data is acquired with Doppler techniques. Consequently, it is only recently that improvements in computer processing power have resulted in useful vascular 3D ultrasound scans. Many manufacturers have now implemented free-hand 3D power Doppler capabilities on their scanners. However, to obtain flow signals from smaller vessels associated e.g., with tumor neovascularity, may very well require the introduction of a microbubble based ultrasound contrast agent into the blood stream. Given the up to 30 dB enhancement of Doppler signals produced by the contrast microbubbles quite spectacular vascular 3D images are feasible. Moreover, new contrast imaging techniques, such as harmonic imaging, have now permitted 3D vascular information to be acquired and displayed in grayscale with the associated improvement in resolution. In this paper we will review different aspects of contrast enhanced vascular 3D ultrasound imaging including implementation, contrast specific techniques and in vivo imaging.     

Correlation functions and power spectra of Doppler response signals in ultrasonic medical applications

Ultrasound Doppler methods are widely used in clinical practice as prospective investigational tool to study the vascular system and soft biological tissues. Meanwhile, the most general relationship between the power Doppler spectra, spectral characteristics of the scattering fluctuations and the probing ultrasound field parameters for some clinical implementations are still unexplored. Based upon the continuum model of scattering inhomogeneities, a set of the closed-form expressions for the correlation functions and the spectra of Doppler response of soft tissues and blood have been derived. The influence of the correlation among inhomogeneities and the diffusion processes on the Doppler power spectra formed by stationary flows have been examined. Computer simulations of Doppler spectra were performed for different values of correlation radius and diffusion coefficient. With simulation results the effects of the correlation among inhomogeneities and the diffusion processes on the spectral width and mean frequency are established and discussed in respect to turbulent flows. Closed-form expressions for correlation functions and Doppler spectra for the vibrational sonoelastography technique for visualizing malignant tumors in tissues have been derived. Based on the peculiarities of the obtained Doppler spectra, it is shown that the differentiation of soft tissues with respect to the amplitude value of constrained oscillations is feasible. The expressions were derived for the cases of non-stationary accelerated blood movement. It has been found that the frequency dependence reveals solely at a finite time of observation and depends on the initial phase of the accelerated movement.     

Sensitive interferometric detection of ultrasound for minimally invasive clinical imaging applications

Miniaturized optical detectors of ultrasound represent a promising alternative to piezoelectric technology and may enable new minimally invasive clinical applications, particularly in the field of optoacoustic imaging. However, the use of such detectors has so far been limited to controlled lab environments, and has not been demonstrated in the presence of mechanical disturbances, common in clinical imaging scenarios. Additionally, detection sensitivity has been inherently limited by laser noise, which hindered the use of sensing elements such as optical fibers, which exhibit a weak response to ultrasound. In this work, coherence‐restored pulse interferometry (CRPI) is introduced – a new paradigm for interferometric sensing in which shot‐noise limited sensitivity may be achieved alongside robust operation. CRPI is implemented with a fiber‐based resonator, demonstrating over an order of magnitude higher sensitivity than that of conventional 15 MHz intravascular ultrasound probes. The performance of the optical detector is showcased in a miniaturized all‐optical optoacoustic imaging catheter.     

Barrier-breaking effects of ultrasonic cavitation for drug delivery and biomarker release

Recently, emerging evidence has demonstrated that cavitation actually creates important bidirectional channels on biological barriers for both intratumoral drug delivery and extratumoral biomarker release. To promote the barrier-breaking effects of cavitation for both therapy and diagnosis, we first reviewed recent technical advances of ultrasound and its contrast agents (microbubbles, nanodroplets, and gas-stabilizing nanoparticles) and then reported the newly-revealed cavitation physical details. In particular, we summarized five types of cellular responses of cavitation in breaking the plasma membrane (membrane retraction, sonoporation, endocytosis/exocytosis, blebbing and apoptosis) and compared the vascular cavitation effects of three different types of ultrasound contrast agents in breaking the blood-tumor barrier and tumor microenvironment. Moreover, we highlighted the current achievements of the barrier-breaking effects of cavitation in mediating drug delivery and biomarker release. We emphasized that the precise induction of a specific cavitation effect for barrier-breaking was still challenged by the complex combination of multiple acoustic and non-acoustic cavitation parameters. Therefore, we provided the cutting-edge in-situ cavitation imaging and feedback control methods and suggested the development of an international cavitation quantification standard for the clinical guidance of cavitation-mediated barrier-breaking effects.     

基于声学扫描振镜的超声/光声双模态成像技术

超声/光声双模态成像技术因其同时兼具超声的高分辨率结构成像和光声的高对比度功能成像优势,极大地推动了光声成像技术的临床应用推广.传统超声/光声双模态成像技术多基于超声成像所用阵列探头同时收集光声信号,系统结构紧凑且无需图像配准,操作便捷.但该类设备使用阵列探头和多通道数据采集,使得其成本较高;且成像结果易受通道一致性差异影响.本文提出了一种基于声学扫描振镜的超声/光声双模态成像技术,该技术采用单个超声换能器结合一维声学扫描振镜进行快速声束扫描,实现超声/光声双模态成像,是一种小型化、低成本的双模态快速成像技术.本文开展了系列仿体和活体成像研究,实验结果表明:系统有效成像范围为15.6 mm,超声和光声成像B扫描速度分别为1.0 s^–1和0.1 s^–1 (光声成像速度主要受制于脉冲激光器重复频率).基于本文所提技术研究,有助于进一步推动超声/光声双模态成像技术的临床转化和普及;也为基于超声信号检测的多模态成像技术提供了一种低成本、小型化和快速声信号检测的参考方案.