Multifrequency ultrasound imaging for improved breast tissue characterization

项目概要 使用无创超声进行定量组织表征一直是一个令人兴奋的研究前景 几十年了。这里的挑战是找到超声数据中的隐藏模式以揭示更多信息 有关组织功能和病理学的信息在更传统的超声图像中无法看到。 一种新的模式绕过了与传统组织表征方法相关的一些限制 已经出现用于对癌细胞等声散射体进行超声分类。称为 H 扫描超声 （其中“H”代表 Hermite 或色调），这种创新的实时成像技术揭示了局部频率 软组织中发现的不同大小的散射体聚集体的依赖性。我们的初步临床前发现使用 体内 H 扫描超声表明这种新的成像技术可用于检测细胞凋亡活性 以及对化疗的早期反应。这里显示 H 扫描超声图像强度的变化 与局部癌细胞核大小有很强的相关性。以从先前获得的知识为指导 研究，当前研究项目的目的是开发下一代体内 H 扫描超声 成像系统和肿瘤表征方法。我们的首要目标是实现多频 H 扫描 配备宽带电容微机械的可编程扫描仪的超声成像功能 超声波换能器（CMUT）。这种新的超声成像技术将使用 一系列嵌入已知尺寸散射体的幻影材料。接下来，我们将量化 H 扫描的成功 使用乳腺癌临床前模型监测化疗早期反应的超声成像 概括了人类疾病。然后我们将 H 扫描超声结果与物理测量结果进行比较 癌细胞的大小和通过竞争成像技术获得的结果。最后，我们将进行第一次 乳腺癌多频 H 扫描超声成像的人体研究并评估其帮助的潜力 与疾病管理。

PROJECT SUMMARY The use of noninvasive ultrasound for quantitative tissue characterization has been an exciting research prospect for several decades now. Herein the challenge is to find hidden patterns in the ultrasound data to reveal more information about tissue function and pathology that cannot be seen in the more conventional ultrasound images. Bypassing some of the limitations associated with traditional tissue characterization approaches, a new modality has emerged for the ultrasound classification of acoustic scatterers like cancer cells. Termed H-scan ultrasound (where the ‘H’ stands for Hermite or hue), this innovative real-time imaging technique reveals the local frequency dependence of different-sized scatterer aggregates found in soft tissue. Our preliminary preclinical findings using in vivo H-scan ultrasound have indicated that this new imaging technique is useful for detecting apoptotic activity and an early response to chemotherapy. Here changes in H-scan ultrasound image intensity were shown to have a strong correlation to local cancer cell nuclear size. Guided by knowledge gained from these previous studies, the purpose of the current research project is to develop a next-generation in vivo H-scan ultrasound imaging system and tumor characterization method. Our first goal is to implement a multifrequency H-scan ultrasound imaging functionality on programmable scanner equipped with a wideband capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT). This new ultrasound imaging technology will be tested and optimized using a series of phantom materials embedded with scatterers of known size. Next, we will quantify success of H-scan ultrasound imaging for monitoring an early response to chemotherapy using a preclinical model of breast cancer that recapitulates human disease. We will then compare H-scan ultrasound findings to physical measurements of cancer cell size and results obtained by competing imaging technologies. Lastly, we will conduct the first human study of multifrequency H-scan ultrasound imaging of breast cancer and evaluate the potential for helping with disease management.