Diagnosing Small Joints by Soft Ultrasound Probes

项目概要 关节炎和肌腱异常等小关节疾病普遍存在，这不仅导致 患者遭受持久的痛苦，但医疗费用也高昂。肌肉骨骼超声成像具有无价的价值 诊断这些疾病的工具。然而，当前的刚性和平面超声探头的接触有限 小关节表面高度弯曲的不规则区域，导致声耦合不良 超声检查窗口有限。此外，刚性探头需要经验丰富的专业人员来扫描关节 来来回回，扫描位置和方向不同，既费力又费时。在 此外，这会导致所采集图像中出现各向异性伪影，因此高度依赖于操作员。在这个 项目中，提出了一种薄而软的超声波探头，以允许与小 关节进行全面、快速、无伪影的检查。该方法旨在探索一种创新的 “岛桥”结构，集成了一系列高性能刚性超声换能器和 弹性聚合物基质，因此所得系统的机械性能将类似于 人类的皮肤。基于相控阵控制机制的先进成像处理算法 开发的。所获取的图像在轴向和横向尺寸上都具有高分辨率。最终装置 将在尸体手指关节上进行测试，收集的结果将与传统的手指关节进行验证 超声波探头。软超声探头可能会带来一种变革性的技术，有望为 用于小关节的下一代可穿戴诊断设备。

PROJECT SUMMARY Diseases of small joints such as arthritis and tendon abnormalities are prevalent, which leads to not only lasting patient suffering but also heavy healthcare cost. Musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging is an invaluable tool for diagnosing these diseases. However, current rigid and planar ultrasound probes have limited contact area with the highly curved irregular surfaces of the small joints, which leads to poor acoustic coupling and limited sonographic window. Also, the rigid probes require experienced professionals to scan the joints back and forth, with different scanning positions and orientations, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. In addition, this causes anisotropic artifacts in the acquired images and is thus highly operator-dependent. In this project, a thin and soft ultrasound probe is proposed to allow conformal and intimate integration with the small joints for comprehensive, rapid, and artifact-free examinations. The approach is to explore an innovative “island-bridge” structure that integrates an array of high performance rigid ultrasound transducers with an elastomeric polymer matrix, so mechanical properties of the resulting system will be similar to those of the human skin. Advanced imaging processing algorithm based on phased-array control mechanism will be developed. The acquired images will be high resolution in both axial and lateral dimensions. The final device will be tested on cadaver finger joints, and the collected results will be verified with these from conventional ultrasound probes. The soft ultrasound probes may suggest a transformative technology that holds promise for the next generation of wearable diagnostic devices for the small joints.