Development of a High Frame Rate Ultrasound System for Cardiac Imaging in Small A

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议项目的目标是开发一种实时高频超声成像系统，帧率至少为180 Hz，用于小动物的心脏应用。超声成像是一种成熟的人体心脏成像技术。对于心率高于400次/分钟的小动物的心脏成像，目前临床超声扫描仪的空间和时间分辨率远远不够理想，根本不足以满足此类应用。此外，目前还没有为小动物成像和人类眼睛成像开发的商用高频超声波扫描仪，能够在大视场内实现高于30赫兹的帧率。在这笔拨款的支持下，设计，制造和测试了一种设备，该设备具有单元件换能器，能够以30至50 MHz的频率以至少130 Hz的帧速率对小动物的心脏进行成像。最初的实验在老鼠和斑马鱼的心脏上进行。在下一个拨款期内，扫描仪的性能将进一步提高，通过增加频率和帧率，并实施编码激励，以增加穿透深度。将开发允许动态聚焦的微型轻型环形阵列，以取代单元件换能器，以提高空间分辨率，利用USC换能器资源开发的基于环形阵列的数字成像系统。基于伺服电机的机械探针将与Capistrano实验室合作开发。该装置在小鼠和斑马鱼心脏解剖和生理功能定量测量中的潜在应用将与南加州大学儿童医院和医学院的研究人员合作探索。小动物，包括小鼠、大鼠、斑马鱼等，已经成为研究人类疾病和药物开发的理想模型。因此，随着对小动物研究需求的增加，对在小范围内准确监测生理和功能活动的方法的需求也在增加。高频超声系统将为生物医学研究提供大量的机会。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of the proposed project is to develop a real time high frequency ultrasound imaging system with a frame rate at a minimum of 180 Hz for cardiac applications in small animals. Ultrasound imaging is a well established technology for cardiac imaging on humans. For cardiac imaging in small animals whose hearts beat at a rate higher than 400 beats/minute, the spatial and temporal resolutions of current clinical ultrasonic scanners are far from ideal and simply inadequate for such applications. Furthermore currently there are no commercial high frequency ultrasonic scanners developed for small animal imaging and eye imaging in humans that are capable of a frame rate higher than 30 Hz over a large field of view. Under the support of this grant a device which a mechanical sector scanner with a single element transducer capable of imaging the heart of a small animal at a frequency from 30 to 50 MHz at a frame rate at a minimum of 130 Hz has been designed, fabricated, and tested. Initial experiments performed on mice and zebrafish hearts. In the next grant period, the performance of the scanner will be further improved by increasing the frequency and frame rate and implementing coded excitation to increase the depth of penetration. Miniature light weight annular arrays which allow dynamic focusing will be developed to replace single element transducers for improved spatial resolution taking advantage of an annular array based digital imaging system being developed at the USC Transducer Resource. The servo-motor based mechanical probe will be developed in collaboration with Capistrano Lab. Potential applications of this device in quantitative measurements of cardiac anatomy and physiological functions in mice and zebrafish will be explored in collaborations with investigators from USC Children's Hospital and Medical School. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Project Narrative Small animals, including mice, rats, zebrafish, etc., have emerged as ideal models for the study of human diseases and drug development. Therefore, as the demand for the studies of small animals increases, so does the need for methods to accurately monitor physiological and functional activities on a small scale. The high frequency ultrasonic system will offer a multitude of opportunities for biomedical research.