Prostate Imaging by Vibro-Acoustography

虽然经直肠超声(TRUS)被广泛用于前列腺成像，但它也有缺点 技术。超声波成像天生就会产生斑点，这是由以下原因造成的雪花图案 来自组织散射体的回波的随机干扰。这种伪影降低了图像对比度，阻碍了 检测损伤。此外，TRUS不能区分软性和硬性病变。组织 僵硬已知与病理有关。传统TRUS在前列腺治疗中的另一个缺陷 成像是其在前列腺癌近距离放射治疗种子成像中的局限性。如果这个问题是永久性的，那么这个问题很重要 前列腺近距离放射治疗是在TRUS指导下进行的。金属近距离放射治疗种子经常被遗漏 因此，辐射剂量的计算不能在有信心的情况下进行 操作环境。我们已经开发了一种新的成像方式，称为振动声学成像，它 与TRUS相比有许多改进，即无创、无斑点、对组织僵硬敏感、 并且能够在任何方向上成像近距离放射治疗种子。积极的校外资助研究 开发用于一般诊断成像的表面振动-声学探头的计划，并研究 振动声学成像在乳腺癌中的应用为乳腺癌的研究提供了强大的动力和背景 经直肠振动声学探头的研制在这项研究中，我们计划进一步发展和 测试这项技术在前列腺成像中的应用。将设计一种前列腺特异性TRVA探针，并 与通用电气医疗成像集团合作建造的。TRVA的性能 检测受试者的前列腺病变将进行测试，并与TRUS成像进行比较。的能力 TRVA用于指导微创前列腺治疗和程序，包括前列腺近距离放射治疗和 化疗将进行评估，并与超声成像的表现进行比较。潜在的 TRVA用于绘制冷冻治疗后经历过完全冷冻消融的前列腺区域 与可能未得到充分治疗的地区的对比也存在。这种成像能力具有显著的 对提供一种术中质量保证手段的影响和翻译潜力 治疗方式。该项目的成功完成将为以下方面提供新的成像工具 前列腺成像，并提高我们检测和治疗前列腺癌的能力。

Although trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS) is widely used for prostate imaging, there are drawbacks to this technique. Ultrasound imaging inherently produces speckle, which is the snowy pattern that results from random interference of echoes from tissue scatterers. This artifact reduces image contrast and hampers detection of lesions. Moreover, TRUS is not capable of distinguishing between soft and hard lesions. Tissue stiffness is known to be associated with pathology. Another shortcoming of conventional TRUS in prostate imaging is its limitations in imaging prostate brachytherapy seeds. This issue is important when permanent prostate brachytherapy is performed under TRUS guidance. Metallic brachytherapy seeds are often missed in an ultrasound image and consequently radiation dosage calculation cannot be done with confidence in the operative setting. We have developed a novel imaging modality, referred to as Vibro-acoustography, which incorporates many improvements over TRUS, i.e., it is noninvasive, speckle free, sensitive to tissue stiffness, and capable of imaging brachytherapy seeds at any orientation. Active extramural funded research programs to develop a superficial vibro-acoustic probe for general diagnostic imaging, and to investigate applications of vibro-acoustography in breast cancer have provided a strong impetus and background for the development of a trans-rectal vibro-acoustic (TRVA) probe. In this research, we plan to further develop and test this technique for prostate imaging applications. A prostate-specific TRVA probe will be designed and constructed in conjunction with the General Electric medical imaging group. The performance of TRVA for detecting prostate lesions in human subjects will be tested and compared to TRUS imaging. The ability of TRVA to guide minimally invasive prostate therapies and procedures including prostate brachytherapy and cyrotherapy will be evaluated and compared with the performance of ultrasound imaging. The potential for TRVA to map areas of the prostate which have experienced complete cryoablation following cryotherapy versus areas which may have been undertreated also exists. Such imaging capability has significant implications and translation potential towards providing a means of intraoperative quality assurance for this treatment modality. Successful completion of this project should provide a new class of imaging tools for prostate imaging and increase our abilities to detect and treat prostate cancer.