Dual-source 3D ultrasound and adaptive imaging for guidance and elastography

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The medical ultrasound market is expected to grow robustly from $4B to $6B by 2012 (InMedica, 2009). The emerging areas of ultrasound are anesthesia, emergency medicine and surgery (15% annual growth). Growth is fuelled by adding new functions to the ultrasound machine, and by improving the image quality. At the same time, ultrasound is experiencing a revolution in miniaturization, with new ultra-portable systems now being offered by some of the major manufacturers. The combination of new functionality, better image quality in a small low-cost package would make ultrasound attractive to doctors who have not used ultrasound for a given task before. With such systems, the range of clinical applications for ultrasound would increase. This project is aimed at providing new functionality and improved image quality through the simple concept that two ultrasound transducers are better than one. In particular, the specific objectives of this grant are to make a leap forward in the capability of ultrasound through the use of (1) custom transducer design using two ultrasound heads, (2) adaptive image processing, and (3) novel methods to depict tissue stiffness from ultrasounds signals, while maintaining the existing benefits of real-time imaging, low cost and portability. This research is significant because such a new line of ultrasound transducers and imaging methods can benefit patient care in many areas. For example, I am already exploring how ultrasound can improve minimally-invasive robotic surgery, detection of cancer by detecting stiff lumps, and guidance of needle insertions for biopsy and anesthesia. All of these areas could benefit from the proposed research in the grant.