Multifrequency ultrasound imaging for improved breast tissue characterization

项目总结 利用无创超声进行定量组织定征是一个令人振奋的研究前景。 到现在已经几十年了。这里的挑战是在超声数据中找到隐藏的模式以揭示更多 有关组织功能和病理的信息，在更传统的超声图像中是看不到的。 绕过了与传统组织表征方法相关的一些限制，一种新的模式 已经出现了对癌细胞等声散射体进行超声分类的方法。称为H型超声 (“H”代表Hermite或Hue)，这项创新的实时成像技术揭示了本地频率 软组织中发现的不同大小的散射体聚集体的依赖性。我们的初步临床前研究结果使用 活体H型超声表明，这种新的成像技术对于检测细胞凋亡活性是有用的 以及对化疗的早期反应。图中显示H型超声图像强度的变化 与局部癌细胞的核大小有很强的相关性。以从以前的 研究方面，目前研究项目的目的是开发下一代活体H型超声 成像系统和肿瘤表征方法。我们的第一个目标是实施多频率H扫描 配备宽带电容式微机械的可编程扫描仪上的超声成像功能 超声波传感器(CMUT)。这项新的超声成像技术将使用 一系列嵌入了已知大小散射体的体模材料。接下来，我们将量化H-SCAN的成功 超声成像用于监测乳腺癌临床前模型对化疗的早期反应 这是对人类疾病的概括。然后我们将把H-超声仪的结果与体格测量结果进行比较。 癌细胞大小和通过竞争成像技术获得的结果。最后，我们将进行第一个 乳腺癌多频H-超声像图的人体研究及应用价值评价 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.