High-frequency-ultrasound annular arrays for ophthalmic and small-animal imaging

用于眼科和小动物成像的高频超声环形阵列

• 批准号: 7640867
• 负责人: Jeffrey Ketterling
• 金额: $ 34.48万
• 依托单位: RIVERSIDE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-06-15 至 2012-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7640867
• 关键词: Age; Algorithms; Americas; Anatomy; Animal Experiments; Animals; Anterior; Bathing; Biometry; Blindness; Cardiovascular system; Cerebral Ventricles; Clinical; Code; Data Collection; Data Display; Data Set; Detection; Development; Device or Instrument Development; Devices; Diabetic Retinopathy; Disease; Disease Progression; Elements; Embryo; Engineering; Eye; Eye Banks; Frequencies; Genetic; Goals; Grant; Human; Image; Imagery; Immersion Investigative Technique; Lateral; Legal Blindness; Marketing; Medical Research; Mus; Noise; Ophthalmology; Oryctolagus cuniculus; Pattern; Performance; Population; Positioning Attribute; Posterior Vitreous Detachments; Real-Time Systems; Research Personnel; Resolution; Risk Factors; Scanning; Solutions; Specimen; Structure; System; Systems Integration; Techniques; Technology; Testing; Three-Dimensional Imaging; Time; Tissues; Transducers; Ultrasonography; Universities; Validation; Visual; Work; base; cost; data acquisition; design; disease diagnosis; human subject; image processing; imaging Segmentation; improved; in vivo; instrument; interest; medical schools; mouse development; prevent

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this study is to develop and evaluate advanced annular-array transducer technology for rapid, high-definition imaging in significant medical-research applications. The study will assess high frequency ultrasound (HFU, = 20 MHz) annular arrays in two important applications: 1) imaging microstructure in small animals (e.g., mouse embryos); and 2) imaging posterior vitreous detachments (PVDs) associated with diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in the US working-age population according to Prevent Blindness America. Current HFU instruments do not use linear arrays for such applications because of a variety of technical and cost reasons. Instead, current HFU instruments use mechanically scanned, single-element transducers, which provide fine-resolution images over a very limited depth of field (DOF). For small-animal applications, a shallow DOF causes most anatomical boundaries in the specimen to be poorly defined; therefore, accurate micro-structural and volumetric analyses are nearly impossible. For ophthalmic applications, a shallow DOF causes most ocular anatomy to be imaged with poor definition compared to the in-focus region; therefore, because only a small portion of the eye is in focus at a given time, detection and assessment of ocular conditions such as PVD are prone to inaccuracies and false-negative determinations. Annular-array transducers offer a promising approach to significantly extend DOF and to increase the depth range over which fine-lateral resolution is provided. This proposal seeks to continue the HFU annular-array studies initiated under grant EY014371 that demonstrated the improved imaging capability of synthetically-focused annular arrays using in vivo rabbit eyes, in vivo mouse embryos, and human eye-bank eyes. The proposed project will extend those previous studies by developing and validating a real-time HFU, annular-array-based, rapid-imaging system capable of 1) dynamic-receive display imaging at a rate of > 10 fps; 2) data acquisition in < 0.2 s for single-frame, synthetically-focused imaging; and 3) 3D data collection in < 20 s. The proposed system will be modular to facilitate upgrading system components and features. We will validate system performance using animal experiments and human-subject examinations. First, in vivo animal experiments will be conducted with rabbit eyes to evaluate a 40-MHz annular array for anterior-segment imaging and a 20-MHz annular array for posterior segment and full-globe imaging. We also will utilize the 40-MHz annular array to perform in vivo 3D imaging and volumetric segmentation studies with mouse embryos. Second, we will test the hypothesis that 20-MHz annular arrays improve detection of PVD. Validation of this hypothesis will significantly improve our ability to assess disease status in diabetic retinopathy.

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的目的是在重要的医学研究应用程序中开发和评估高级环形式传感器技术，以快速，高清成像。该研究将评估两个重要应用中的高频超声（HFU，= 20 MHz）环形阵列：1）小动物中的成像微观结构（例如，小鼠胚胎）； 2）与糖尿病性视网膜病相关的成像后玻璃体脱离（PVD），这是美国劳动年龄人群失明的主要原因。由于各种技术和成本原因，当前的HFU仪器不将线性阵列用于此类应用。取而代之的是，当前的HFU仪器使用机械​​扫描的单元素传感器，可在非常有限的景深（DOF）上提供精细的分辨率图像。对于小动物的应用，浅DOF导致样品中大多数解剖边界的定义较差；因此，几乎不可能进行准确的微观结构和体积分析。对于眼科应用，与对焦区域相比，浅DOF导致大多数眼部解剖结构的定义较差。因此，由于在给定时间只有一小部分眼睛被关注，因此对PVD等眼条件的检测和评估容易出现不准确和错误的阴性测定。环形阵列传感器提供了一种有希望的方法，可显着扩展DOF并增加提供高级分辨率的深度范围。该提案旨在继续根据Grant EY014371启动的HFU环形阵列研究，该研究证明了使用体内兔眼，体内小鼠胚胎和人类Ekean-Bank的眼睛的合成注重环形阵列的提高成像能力。拟议的项目将通过开发和验证实时的HFU，基于环形阵列的快速成像系统来扩展这些先前的研究，能够以> 10 fps的速率进行动态接收性显示成像； 2）单帧，以合成为中心的成像为<0.2 s的数据采集； 3）<20 s的3D数据收集。提出的系统将是模块化的，以促进升级系统组件和功能。我们将使用动物实验和人类受试者检查来验证系统性能。首先，将用兔眼睛进行体内动物实验，以评估40 MHz环形阵列进行前部段成像，并评估20 MHz环形阵列，用于后段和全球成像。我们还将利用40-MHz环形阵列在体内3D成像和小鼠胚胎进行体积分割研究。其次，我们将检验以下假设：20-MHz环形阵列可改善PVD的检测。对该假设的验证将显着提高我们评估糖尿病性视网膜病中疾病状况的能力。