Ultrasonic System for Cardiac Imaging in Small Animals

描述(由申请人提供)： 该项目的目标是开发一种能够以高于150赫兹的帧速率脉冲多普勒的实时高频超声成像系统，用于小动物的心脏应用。超声成像是一项在人体上进行心脏成像的成熟技术。对于心跳速度超过200次/分钟的小动物的心脏成像，目前临床超声扫描仪的空间和时间分辨率远远不理想，根本不足以满足此类应用。此外，目前为小动物成像和人类眼睛成像开发的商用高频超声波扫描仪无法产生高于30赫兹的帧速率的图像。 设计和制造的设备将是一种机械扇形扫描仪，带有一个单一元件换能器，能够以至少150赫兹的帧速率以30至50兆赫的频率对小动物的心脏进行成像。 拟议的扫描仪将由一个探头和一个成像单元组成，该单元将基于现有技术和商业组件。探测器的设计和制造将是该项目的核心。它将与Capstrano Lab合作开发，将f数为2至4的单元件高频换能器与伺服电机系统集成在一起。南加州大学的团队在换能器工程和成像系统开发方面拥有专业知识，而Capstrano Labs Inc.则生产了一种类似的探头，该探头可以在商业上获得，但帧速率较低。探测器将在卡皮斯特拉诺设计和建造。成像单元、脉冲多普勒单元和换能器将在南加州大学设计和制造。探头和成像控制台的系统集成也将在南加州大学进行。这项研究完成后，预计将设计一个原型系统，并在电线和流动模体、体外切除的小鼠心脏和活体动物上进行测试。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of the proposed project is to develop a real time high frequency ultrasound imaging system capable of pulsed Doppler with a frame rate higher than 150 Hz for cardiac applications in small animals. Ultrasound imaging is a well established technology for cardiac imaging on humans. For cardiac imaging in small animals whose hearts beat at a rate higher than 200 beats/minute, the spatial and temporal resolutions of current clinical ultrasonic scanners are far from ideal and simply inadequate for such applications. Furthermore current commercial high frequency ultrasonic scanners developed for small animal imaging and eye imaging in humans are incapable of producing images at a frame rate higher than 30 Hz. The device to be designed and fabricated will be a mechanical sector scanner with a single element transducer capable of imaging the heart of small animals at a frequency from 30 to 50 MHz at a frame rate of at least 150 Hz. The proposed scanner will consist of a probe and an imaging unit that will be based on existing technology and commercial components. The design and fabrication of the probe will be the heart of the project. It will be developed in collaboration with Capistrano Lab by integrating a single element high frequency transducer with an f-number of 2 to 4 with a servo motor system. The USC group has expertise in transducer engineering and imaging system development whereas Capistrano labs Inc. has produced a similar probe which is commercially available but at a lower frame rate. The probe will be designed and built at Capistrano. The imaging unit, the Pulsed Doppler unit, and transducers will be designed and built at USC. System integration of the probe and the imaging console will also be carried out at USC. Upon the completion of this research it is expected that a prototype system will be designed and tested on wire and flow phantoms, excised mouse hearts in vitro and live animals in vivo.