A Novel Research-Purpose Ultrasound Array Scanner for Dynamic Ultrasound Imaging Investigations

虽然超声作为一种广泛使用的医学成像手段已经蓬勃发展，但它在可视化动态事件(如血流)方面的使用容易出错。特别是，目前扫描仪上可用的多普勒成像模式只能产生20-30帧/秒(Fps)的视频范围帧速率，这不足以准确跟踪脉冲周期不同阶段的心血管动力学。需要能够达到1,000fps帧速率的新的动态成像范例来连贯地可视化活体中快速变化的事件。 为了促进新的基于超声的动态成像方案和量化算法的设计和应用，我们要求新推出的基于阵列的平移研究扫描仪具有(1)临床级用户界面、(2)通道级操作可配置性、(3)实时数据传输、(4)高吞吐量处理能力和(5)开放体系结构软件可编程性。该系统是目前市面上唯一具有所有这些功能的研究用超声系统。请注意，新的超声成像方案不能容易地在现有的临床扫描仪上实施，因为它们的嵌入式硬件架构内在地排除了对系统成像序列进行彻底重新编程的可能性。 拟议的超声研究扫描仪将适时地建立一个跨学科、基于团队的研究计划，该计划涵盖生物医学超声创新、血管生理学和血管组织工程方面的专业知识。该研究系统将设计和测试各种新的成像方法，以可视化动态事件，包括血管壁剪切率模式、动脉脉搏波传播、尿液排出和心室血流射血。它们将被应用于血管老化、空间生理学、心力衰竭、泌尿学和血管移植的研究，以帮助用户在人类和小动物调查中获得现有成像工具无法获得的新的生理学见解。这些研究活动对生物医学研究人员和临床医生将是重要的，因为上述动态事件都与病理学和疾病发展有关。例如，动脉脉搏波速度加快被认为是血管僵硬和衰老的迹象，而脉搏平均切变率接近零被认为有利于斑块的发展。 这项研究计划将为加拿大带来社会效益和经济效益。例如，加拿大医疗保健系统将第一手接触到将开发的新的动态成像技术，这将可持续地提高诊断质量。此外，通过追求拟议的超声成像创新，加拿大作为全球超声成像研究领先者的角色将进一步得到加强。

Although ultrasound has thrived as a widely used medical imaging modality, its use in visualizing dynamic events, such as blood flow, is error prone. In particular, the Doppler imaging mode available on current scanners can merely yield video-range frame rates of 20-30 frames per second (fps), which is inadequate to accurately track cardiovascular dynamics over different phases of a pulse cycle. New dynamic imaging paradigms capable of achieving >1,000 fps frame rate are needed to coherently visualize fast-changing events in living organisms. To foster the design and application of new ultrasound-based dynamic imaging schemes and quantification algorithms, we request a newly available array-based translational research scanner with (1) clinical-grade user interface, (2) channel-level operational configurability, (3) real-time data transfer, (4) high-throughput processing capability, and (5) open-architecture software programmability. The proposed system is currently the only commercially available research-purpose ultrasound system that possesses all these features. Note that novel ultrasound imaging schemes cannot be readily implemented on existing clinical scanners, because their embedded hardware architecture inherently precludes drastic reprogramming of the system’s imaging sequence. The proposed ultrasound research scanner will timely enable the establishment of an inter-disciplinary, team-based research program that spans expertise in biomedical ultrasound innovations, vascular physiology, and vascular tissue engineering. Various novel imaging methods will be devised and tested with this research system to visualize dynamic events including vascular wall shear rate pattern, arterial pulse wave propagation, urine voiding, and cardiac ventricular flow ejection. They will be applied to research studies in vascular aging, space physiology, heart failure, urology, and vascular grafting to help users derive new physiological insights in human and small animal investigations that are not obtainable from existing imaging tools. These research activities will be important to biomedical researchers and clinicians as the dynamic events mentioned above are all linked to pathology and disease development. For instance, arterial pulse wave speed increase is considered as a sign of vascular stiffening and aging, while a pulse-averaged wall shear rate of near zero is known to favor plaque development. This research program will deliver both social and economic benefits to Canada. For instance, the Canadian healthcare system will have first-hand access to the novel dynamic imaging techniques to be developed, which will sustainably enhance the quality of diagnostics. Also, through the pursuit of the proposed ultrasound imaging innovations, Canada's role as a global leader in ultrasound imaging research can be further strengthened.