ELASTICITY IMAGING FOR DETECTION OF RENAL PATHOLOGY

描述（改编自申请人摘要）：软组织变化 弹性通常与病理过程有关。 正因如此， 触诊仍然广泛用于诊断。 然而，疗效有限 相对靠近皮肤表面的异常。 的 弹性成像的基本目标是开发替代，远程 触诊 使用灵敏的超声斑点跟踪程序， 可控表面变形和定量重建算法 在第一个资助期内发展起来的，弹性成像已经成为一种 潜在的新的诊断模式，提供关于 内部器官的机械性能。 特别是，研究结果 在第一个供资期间，支持这一假设，即 由于肾损伤和伴随的瘢痕形成， 在识别问题之前，通过弹性成像检测， 传统的诊断技术，如肾功能的实验室测量 功能 根据这些结果，制定了研究计划， 解决了无创检测肾脏的重要临床问题 移植排斥反应 拟议的方案包括基础研究， 最佳弹性成像方法和肾脏弹性。 此外，本发明还提供了一种方法， 一种适用于临床研究的弹性成像系统， 设计和建造，以监测内部弹性性能的 移植的肾脏 该系统将在一组人类身上进行测试。 功能正常的肾移植受试者。 结果从这个 组将与来自不同组的弹性图像进行比较， 功能异常的同种异体移植物 整个计划旨在 严格检验弹性成像可以无创地 在功能测量之前检测肾移植物中的纤维化 感觉异常

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Applicant's Abstract): Changes in soft tissue elasticity are usually related to pathological processes. Because of this, palpation is still widely used for diagnosis. Efficacy, however, is limited to abnormalities located relatively close to the skin surface. The fundamental goal of elasticity imaging is to develop surrogate, remote palpation. Using sensitive ultrasound speckle tracking procedures, controlled surface deformations, and quantitative reconstruction algorithms developed over the first funding period, elasticity imaging has emerged as a potentially new diagnostic modality providing information about the mechanical properties of internal organs. In particular, results of studies during the first funding period support the hypothesis that changes in kidney elasticity due to renal damage and concomitant scarring can be detected with elasticity imaging before problems are identified by traditional diagnostic techniques such as laboratory measurements of renal function. Based on these results, a research plan has been developed to address the important clinical problem of noninvasively detecting kidney transplant rejection. The proposed program includes fundamental studies of both optimal elasticity imaging methods and kidney elasticity. In addition, an elasticity imaging system appropriate for clinical studies will be designed and built to monitor the internal elastic properties of the transplanted kidney. This system will be tested on a group of human subjects with normally functioning renal allografts. Results from this group will be compared to elasticity images from a different group with abnormally functioning allografts. The overall program is designed to critically test the hypothesis that elasticity imaging can noninvasively detect fibrosis in a renal allograft well before functional measurements sense abnormalities.