THERMOACOUSTIC CT OF THE BREAST

描述（改编自申请人的摘要）：在以前的资金 据报道，开发了一种新的医学成像模式，称为 热声CT（TCT）。在其当前的实现中，TCT利用简短的 434 MHz的无线电波脉冲刺激软环境中的声发射 组织.这些声波发射是由一个压电阵列检测到的 晶体，并在每个250，000个单独的RF之后暂时记录 脉搏从记录到的声波辐射，无线电波吸收的模式 在三维中重建软组织体积内的图像。的 申请人报告说，已经证明了良好的软组织分化， 切除的猪肾，我们已经成功地在体内成像乳腺癌。 拟议研究计划的目标是更好地了解 软组织的潜在RF吸收特性，并改善电流 TCT仪器用于人类乳房成像。为此， 在拟议的三年资助期内，我们会致力达致以下目标： 叙述了比心、体积热膨胀和复合物的性质 介电常数对TCT图像对比度的影响：2.将结合水分数与TCT图像相关联 对比度; 3.不同乳腺肿瘤生理特性的相关性 细胞系与TCT图像对比; 4.开发模拟工具来预测和 验证乳腺TCT成像性能; 5.设计、建造和测试 改进的TCT乳腺扫描仪;以及6.进行回顾性TCT成像， 一小部分患者

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Applicant's Abstract): During the previous funding period, reported having developed a new medical imaging paradigm called thermoacoustic CT (TCT). In its current implementation, TCT utilizes brief pulses of radio waves at 434 MHz to stimulate acoustic emissions in soft tissue. These sonic emissions are detected by an array of piezo-electric crystals and are recorded temporally following each of 250,000 individual RF pulses. From the recorded sonic emissions, patterns of radio-wave absorption within the soft tissue volume are reconstructed in three dimensions. The applicants reported having demonstrated good soft tissue differentiation in an excised porcine kidney, and we have successfully imaged breast cancer in vivo. The goal of the proposed research program is to better understand the underlying RF-absorption properties of soft tissue, and to improve the current TCT instrumentation for imaging the human breast. To these ends, the following specific aims will be pursued during the proposed three-year funding period: 1. Relate the properties of specific heart, volume thermal expansion and complex permittivity to TCT image contrast: 2. Relate bound water fraction to TCT image contrast; 3. Correlate the physiologic properties of different breast tumor cell lines with TCT image contrast; 4. Develop simulation tools to predict and validate TCT imaging performance in the breast; 5. Design, construct and test an improved TCT breast scanner; and 6. Perform retrospective TCT imaging on small groups of patients