Super Resolution Ultrasound Imaging

许多微血管相关疾病，如与糖尿病、缺血和癌症相关的疾病，都表现出微血管结构和血流的改变。因此，微血管形态和血流动力学变化的测量对于早期诊断和监测至关重要。目前的临床成像方式不能充分解决微血管或血流动力学在临床有用的深度。提出的工作将产生三维（3D）超分辨率超声血管成像和体内临床深度的速度测绘。我们已经成功地证明了单个微泡定位可以从未经修改的临床超声系统使用简单的后处理定位算法获得的标准图像数据中产生声学超分辨率和超分辨率的体内流速图像。我们在体内实现了20微米以下血管结构的可视化和速度测量。我们目前的工作受到潜在的二维获取策略的限制；这意味着在三维空间中不存在超分辨率信息。我们建议通过结合美国成像技术的最新进展来克服这一点，以便超越超声成像的既定分辨率限制，将这种方法转化为临床有用的成像方式。目的和目标我们的目标是开发深度达10厘米的微血管三维超声超分辨率成像，其采集时间在临床上是有用的。我们的目标是成为世界上第一个在人类身上证明这一点的团队。为了促进这种转变，我们将开发和实施快速3D超分辨率采集策略和协议，使用复合策略与当前可用的美国技术和使用专用超声矩阵阵列技术的超快速体积成像相结合。我们的目标是开发优化和自动化的处理算法，这将使更精确和有效的图像采集。在整个项目中，我们将使用体外模型和体内模型演示3D超分辨率成像和超分辨率速度映射，并最终在人体研究中提供3D超分辨率血管图像。潜在的应用和益处本研究对超分辨率超声成像的临床翻译至关重要。新的3D超分辨率成像方法可以作为下一代微血管结构和功能超声测量技术的基础。无创的、安全的、显微镜下的血管评估对多种疾病的诊断、预测和干预至关重要。

Context Many micro-vascular related diseases, such as those associated with diabetes, ischemia and cancer, exhibit changes in the micro-vascular structure and blood-flow. The measurement of micro-vascular morphology and changes in blood flow dynamics is therefore essential for early diagnosis and monitoring. Current clinical imaging modalities cannot adequately resolve the microvasculature or flow dynamics at clinically useful depths. The proposed work would generate three-dimensional (3D) super-resolved ultrasound vascular imaging and velocity mapping at clinical depths in vivo. We have successfully demonstrated that single microbubble localisation can produce acoustic super-resolution and super-resolved flow velocity images in vivo from standard image data acquired by an unmodified clinical ultrasound system using simple post-processing localisation algorithms. We achieved visualisation and velocity measurements of vessel structures below 20 micro-metres in vivo. Our present work is limited by the underlying two dimensional acquisition strategy; this means that there is no super-resolution information in the third dimension. We propose to overcome this by incorporating recent advances in US imaging technology in order to push beyond the established resolution limits of ultrasound imaging to translate this approach into a clinically useful imaging modality.Aims and ObjectivesOur objective is to develop 3D ultrasound super-resolution imaging of the microvasculature at depths of up to 10 cm with acquisition times that are clinically useful. We aim to be the first group in the world to demonstrate this in humans. To facilitate this transition, we will develop and implement fast 3D super-resolution acquisition strategies and protocols using a combination of compounding strategies with currently available US technology and ultrafast volumetric imaging using dedicated ultrasound matrix array technology. We aim to develop optimised and automated processing algorithms which will enable more precise and efficient image acquisition. Throughout our project, we will demonstrate 3D super resolution imaging and super-resolved velocity mapping using in vitro phantoms and in vivo models, and finally provide 3D super-resolved vasculature images in human studies.Potential Applications and benefitsThe proposed work is essential for clinical translation of super-resolution ultrasound imaging. The new 3D super-resolution imaging method could underlie next generation techniques for ultrasound measurement of the structure and function of the microvasculature. A non-invasive, safe, microscopic assessment of the vasculature could prove crucial to diagnosis, prediction, and intervention in a wide range of diseases.