Abstract
High-frequency power Doppler ultrasound is commonly used to assess vascularity in small-animal cancer models, but quantitative images can be difficult to obtain in the presence of clutter artifacts. To improve vascular quantification, the color pixel density (CPD) in a region of interest can be plotted as a function of wall-filter cutoff velocity to produce the wall-filter selection curve. A mathematical model based on receiver operating characteristic statistics was developed to guide the interpretation of wall-filter selection curves. Mathematical predictions were tested using a VisualSonics Vevo 770 system with a 30-MHz transducer and a flow phantom containing four 200–300-μm-diameter vessels. The phantom mimicked vessel configurations observed in micro-CT images of a transgenic mouse prostate cancer model. Selection curves characteristically include a plateau whose CPD may correspond to either the total vascular volume fraction or to the volume fraction of a subset of vessels in the region. The flow-phantom data indicate that the plateau provides a reliable estimate of total vascularity if the plateau begins at a cutoff velocity <2 mm/s and is longer than 0.5 mm/s. The wall-filter selection curve may enable adaptation of scanner settings to changing flow conditions as a tumor progresses during a longitudinal study.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
