Ultrasound Imaging Applications Research Articles

Ultrastable fluorinated copolypeptide nanodroplets of loaded mixed liquids with low vaporization threshold

The expansion of ultrasound molecular imaging applications warrants a reduction in ultrasound contrast agent size and significant advancement in the in vivo stability of shell-stabilized bubbles. The shift from first to second-generation ultrasound contrast agents was marked by an improvement in stability as air was replaced by hydrophobic gases like perfluoropropane and sulfur hexafluoride. Further enhancements may be facilitated by focusing on strategies to retain the encapsulated gas within the ultrasound contrast agent shell despite extreme mechanical deformations. In this study, we developed a novel ultrasound contrast agent with a unique shell structure and a specially-formulated, low-boiling fluorinated liquid interior, resulting in superior stability during repeated and prolonged ultrasound-induced oscillations. Our ultra-stable nanodroplets can withstand sustained in vitro ultrasound exposure with minimal signal attenuation and can induce significant signal enhancement and delay in signal attenuation in the kidney, liver, and tumor tissues during in vivo experiments. Furthermore, encapsulating photosensitizers within these nanodroplets and leveraging photothermal effects could further augment the ultrasound imaging signal and verify its efficacy in tumor therapy. The creation of highly stable nanodroplets opens immense potential to augment the role of ultrasound in molecular imaging, therapy, and drug delivery.

Ultrasound super-resolution imaging for the assessment of renal allograft dysfunction: A pilot study

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and practical application of ultrasound (US) super-resolution imaging (SRI) in evaluating microvasculature and measuring renal allograft function. MethodsSixteen consecutive patients who received kidney transplants were prospectively enrolled. The patients were assigned as: normal allograft function (n = 6), and allograft malfunction (n = 10). Localizing each potential contrast signal resulted in super-resolution images (SRI). SRI was utilized to assess micro-vessel density (MVD) and microvascular flow rate, whereas contrast-enhanced (CE) US images were statistically processed to get the time to peak (TTP) and peak intensity. Logistic regression was utilized to evaluate their relationship. ResultsUS SRI may be utilized effectively on allografts to show microvasculature with significantly higher resolution than typical color Doppler flow and CEUS pictures. In the multivariate analysis, MVD and TTP were significant US markers of renal allograft failure (p = 0.031 and p = 0.045). The combination of MVD and TTP produced an AUC of 0.783 (p < 0.05) for allograft dysfunction. ConclusionsSRI can accurately portray the microvasculature of renal allografts, while MVD and TTP are appropriate US markers for assessing renal allograft failure.

Research on the intelligent fatigue detection of metal components in vehicles

With the acceleration of transportation speed, heavy loading of trucks has higher requirements for the quality of wheel axles, and the detection of wheel axles on trucks has become a key focus in corrective maintenance. The automotive industry requires timely detection of vehicle components. Nondestructive testing (NDT) technology provides a method of detecting and analyzing physical quantities on the internal surface of an object without causing damage. It can determine the presence of defects or abnormal conditions. The application of nondestructive testing (NDT) is essential in the automotive industry to guarantee the safety and dependability of vehicles. This article provides an overview of the principles and applications of phased array ultrasound imaging and eddy current testing, focusing on intelligent monitoring solutions for axles. This article proposes an enhanced intelligent monitoring approach that utilizes existing detection methodologies to provide vehicle owners with real-time feedback regarding the fatigue strength of individual automotive parts. This approach aims to prompt the replacement of auto parts when the fatigue trend approaches predetermined warning thresholds.

Intraoral Ultrasonography for the Exploration of Periodontal Tissues: A Technological Leap for Oral Diagnosis.

Periodontal disease is an infectious syndrome presenting inflammatory aspects. Radiographic evaluation is an essential complement to clinical assessment but has limitations such as the impossibility of assessing tissue inflammation. It seems essential to consider new exploration methods in clinical practice. Ultrasound of periodontal tissues could make it possible to visualize periodontal structures and detect periodontal diseases (periodontal pocket measurement and the presence of intra-tissue inflammation). Clinical Innovation Report: An ultrasound probe has been specially developed to explore periodontal tissues. The objective of this clinical innovation report is to present this device and expose its potential. Various immediate advantages favor using ultrasound: no pain, no bleeding, faster execution time, and an image recording that can be replayed without having to probe the patient again. Ultrasound measurements of pocket depth appear to be as reliable and reproducible as those obtained by manual probing, as do tissue thickness measurements and the detection of intra-tissue inflammation. Ultrasound seems to have a broad spectrum of indications. Given the major advances offered by ultrasound imaging as a complementary aid to diagnosis, additional studies are necessary to validate these elements and clarify the potential field of application of ultrasound imaging in dentistry.

Clinical application of intraoperative ultrasound superb microvascular imaging in brain tumors resections: contributing to the achievement of total tumoral resection

BackgroundTo investigate whether the intraoperative superb microvascular imaging(SMI) technique helps evaluate lesion boundaries compared with conventional grayscale ultrasound in brain tumor surgery and to explore factors that may be associated with complete radiographic resection.MethodsThis study enrolled 57 consecutive brain tumor patients undergoing surgery. During the operation, B-mode and SMI ultrasound evaluated the boundaries of brain tumors. MRI before and within 48h after surgery was used as the gold standard to evaluate gross-total resection(GTR). The ultrasound findings and GTR results were analyzed to determine the imaging factors related to GTR.ResultsA total of 57 patients were enrolled in the study, including 32 males and 25 females, with an average age of 53.4 ± 14.1 years old(range 19 ~ 80). According to the assessment criteria of MRI, before and within 48 h after the operation, 37(63.9%) cases were classified as GTR, and 20(35.1%) cases were classified as GTR. In comparing tumor interface definition between B-mode and SMI mode, SMI improved HGG boundary recognition in 5 cases(P = 0.033). The results showed that the tumor size ≥ 5 cm and unclear ultrasonic boundary were independent risk factors for nGTR (OR>1, P<0.05).ConclusionsAs an innovative intraoperative doppler technique in neurosurgery, SMI can effectively demarcate the tumor’s boundary and help achieve GTR as much as possible.

Value of Ultrasound Super-Resolution Imaging for the Assessment of Renal Microcirculation in Patients with Acute Kidney Injury: A Preliminary Study.

The present study aimed to explore the clinical applicability of ultrasound super-resolution imaging (US SRI) for assessing renal microcirculation in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). A total of 62 patients with sepsis were enrolled in the present study-38 with AKI and 24 control patients-from whom renal ultrasounds and clinical data were obtained. SonoVue contrast (1.5 mL) was administered through the elbow vein and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) images were obtained on a Mindray Resona A20 ultrasound unit for 2 min. The renal perfusion time-intensity curve (TIC) was analyzed and, after 15 min, additional images were obtained to create a microscopic blood flow map. Microvascular density (MVD) was calculated and its correlation with serum creatinine (Scr) levels was analyzed. There were significant differences in heart rate, Scr, blood urea nitrogen, urine volume at 24 h, and glomerular filtration rate between the two groups (p < 0.01), whereas other characteristics, such as renal morphology, did not differ significantly between the AKI group and control group (p > 0.05). The time to peak and mean transit times of the renal cortex in the AKI group were prolonged compared to those in the control group (p < 0.01), while the peak intensity and area under the TIC were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The MVD of the renal cortex in the AKI group was lower than that in the control group (18.46 ± 5.90% vs. 44.93 ± 11.65%; p < 0.01) and the MVD in the AKI group showed a negative correlation with Scr (R = -0.84; p < 0.01). Based on the aforementioned results, US SRI can effectively assess renal microcirculation in patients with AKI and is a noninvasive technique for the diagnosis of AKI and quantitative evaluation of renal microcirculation.

What is the place of ultrasound in MSK imaging?

During the past four decades, ultrasound has become popular as an imaging modality applied to the musculoskeletal (MSK) system, particularly outside the USA, due to its low cost, accessibility, and lack of ionizing radiation. A basic requirement in performing these examinations is to have a core group of radiologists and ultrasound technologists with expertise in MSK ultrasound. The extent to which ultrasound will be part of the imaging offered by a particular radiology practice or in an academic institution will vary according to expertise, availability, and reimbursements. A brief discussion of the technical capabilities of the current generation of ultrasound scanners will be followed by a description of some of the more prevalent MSK ultrasound imaging applications. The extent to which training to perform these exams within and outside of Radiologyplays a role is discussed. Applications that are unique to ultrasound, such as dynamic evaluation of musculoskeletal anatomy and some, US-guided interventions are an important part of MSK imaging. Ultrasound is increasingly important in the assessment of superficial structures, such as tendons, small joints, and peripheral nerves. These applications help to establish the place of ultrasound as an important part of the Radiologists approach to MSK imaging. Outside of radiology, for a variety of clinical subspecialties, ultrasound already plays an integral role in MSK imaging.

Ultrasound imaging of mammalian cells using drug-induced acoustic reporter genes

The emerging area of genetically engineered ultrasound contrast agents, like gas vesicles, has the potential to broaden the applications of medical ultrasound imaging by enabling targeted and deep tissue imaging at the cellular level. Nevertheless, the existing gene construct/encoding relies on significant cell processing to ensure sufficient gas vesicles are formed within the cell to produce ultrasound contrast. Here, we describe a drug-inducible and drug-selectable acoustic reporter gene construct that can enable gas vesicle expression in mammalian cell lines, which we demonstrate in wild type HEK293T cells. Fluorescence microscopy was employed to validate the integration of the plasmid, while the creation of single-cell clones was achieved through the utilization of flow cytometry. The expression for gas vesicle was optically and ultrasonically verified, achieving 80% improved signal to noise ratio in cells expressing gas vesicles compared to negative controls. This technology introduces a novel paradigm for reporter genes, utilizing ultrasound to visually identify particular cell types both in vitro and in vivo, serving diverse purposes such as cellular reporting and applications in cell therapies.

Design of Preamplifier for Ultrasound Transducers

In diagnostic ultrasound imaging applications, preamplifiers are used as first-stage analog front-end amplifiers for ultrasound transducers because they can amplify weak acoustic signals generated directly by ultrasound transducers. For emerging diagnostic ultrasound imaging applications, different types of preamplifiers with specific design parameters and circuit topologies have been developed, depending on the types of the ultrasound transducer. In particular, the design parameters of the preamplifier, such as the gain, bandwidth, input- or output-referred noise components, and power consumption, have a tradeoff relationship. Guidelines on the detailed design concept, design parameters, and specific circuit design techniques of the preamplifier used for ultrasound transducers are outlined in this paper, aiming to help circuit designers and academic researchers optimize the performance of ultrasound transducers used in the diagnostic ultrasound imaging applications for research directions.

On the dynamics of soliton solutions for the nonlinear fractional dynamical system: Application in ultrasound imaging

This article examines the third-order non-linear fractional Westervelt model by using a newly developed integration tool termed the new extended direct algebraic approach. The different wave structures to the considered model are secured in various forms, including bright, dark, and combo solitons. The application of wave structures is advantageous in the examination of sound wave propagation and high amplitude phenomena in the fields of medical imaging and therapy. These solutions are effective in facilitating ultrasound propagation in tissue, underwater acoustics, acoustic cavitation, acoustic levitation, and other related applications. The internal tissue of human beings can be visualized and studied through the use of ultrasound imaging technologies in the field of medicine. This technology possesses numerous uses in both industrial and medicinal sectors. There has been a growing interest in fractional nonlinear partial differential equations due to their ability to describe various complex occurrences and exhibit more dynamic architectures of localized wave solutions. On employing accurate parameter values, multiple graphical representations are generated to provide the visual depiction of the acquired results. The results of this study indicate that the chosen methodology effectively improves nonlinear dynamical processes. The findings indicate that the selected methodology demonstrates efficacy, feasibility, and versatility when applied to intricate systems across several domains, with a special emphasis on ultrasonic imaging. The findings indicate that the system exhibits a potentially significant abundance of soliton structures.

Applications of the Photocatalytic and Photoacoustic Properties of Gold Nanorods in Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Imaging.

The applications of ultrasound imaging are often limited due to low contrast, which arises from the comparable acoustic impedance of normal tissues and disease sites. To improve the low contrast, we propose a contrast agent called gas-generating laser-activatable nanorods for contrast enhancement (GLANCE), which enhances ultrasound imaging contrast in two ways. First, GLANCE absorbs near-infrared lasers and generates nitrogen gas bubbles through the photocatalytic function of gold nanorods and photolysis of azide compounds. These gas bubbles decrease the acoustic impedance and highlight the injection site from the surrounding tissues. Second, GLANCE exhibits photoacoustic properties owing to the gold nanorods that emit photoacoustic signals upon laser irradiation. Additionally, GLANCE offers several benefits for biomedical applications such as nanometer-scale size, adjustable optical absorption, and biocompatibility. These distinctive features of GLANCE would overcome the limitations of conventional ultrasound imaging and facilitate the accurate diagnosis of various diseases.

Applications of Ultrasound imaging in dental and orofacial region: An updated review

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to examine various applications of ultrasonography in the dental and orofacial areas. Methods: The literature was systematically queried in three prominent databases, namely PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Only publications that focused on the use of ultrasonography (US) in dentistry were chosen, while the remaining articles were used for technical reference purposes. Results: Out of a total of 300 papers, approximately 70 acceptable studies were ultimately included, which reported the use of US in the dental and orofacial region. The remaining articles were referred to for technical elements of US. The publications were thoroughly examined, and comprehensive data regarding the intraoral US methods was recorded. Conclusion: To summarise, ultrasonography is a comprehensive and innovative imaging technique that is currently undergoing substantial investigation in the field of dentistry. The device is a safe, efficient, portable, cost-effective, and Non-ionizing device that can be effectively used in dentistry.

A compact bipolar high‐voltage pulser with a novel transistor gate–source protection scheme for ultrasound imaging applications

SummaryIn this article, a compact integrated high‐voltage (HV) pulser is presented, which can serve as an actuator in area‐limited medical ultrasound imaging applications. The proposed HV pulser is capable of producing bipolar return‐to‐zero (RTZ) HV pulses with a maximum peak‐to‐peak amplitude of 60 V. A novel RTZ stage including a new transistor gate–source protection scheme is used in this work, resulting in a reduced die area by enabling the use of an embedded transmit/receive (T/R) switch and obviating the need for a separate T/R switch. The proposed HV pulser also incorporates programmable delay elements by which the RTZ time can be controlled. By selecting the minimum allowed value of delay, the pulser is able to generate square‐wave HV pulses as well. Designed and implemented in a 0.18‐μm HV Bipolar‐CMOS‐DMOS (BCD) technology, the pulser occupies a layout area of 0.455 mm2. The function of the proposed design has been verified using post‐layout simulations when driving a 220‐pF capacitor in parallel with a 1‐kΩ resistor load. The simulation results indicate that the pulser consumes an average power of 14.85 mW when producing 2‐MHz, three‐cycle HV pulses with a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 5 kHz.

Biocompatible Aluminum-Doped Graphene Quantum Dots for Dual-Modal Fluorescence and Ultrasound Imaging Applications

Biocompatible Aluminum-Doped Graphene Quantum Dots for Dual-Modal Fluorescence and Ultrasound Imaging Applications

Clinical Application of Ultrasound Elastic Imaging in Assessing Poststroke Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

This study aimed to explore the characteristics and clinical application of ultrasonic elastography in peripheral soft tissue in patients with poststroke complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I is also known as shoulder hand syndrome (SHS). Its main symptoms include shoulder pain, limited activity, upper arm, wrist, and knuckle joint pain. Ultrasonic elastic imaging technology is gradually being applied to musculoskeletal system evaluation, primarily for the elastic examination of superficial tissue, as a result of the continual advancements in ultrasound technology. To make up for the absence of conventional imaging, functional state evaluation of the motor system can offer conventional ultrasonic tissue elasticity and hardness data. The purpose of this study was to objectively quantify the soft tissue surrounding the shoulder joint of stroke patients with CRPS using ultrasonic elastic imaging and to determine the diagnostic usefulness of ultrasonic elastic imaging for CRPS in stroke in order to promote its usage in clinical practice. Patients diagnosed with CRPS following a stroke and admitted to the rehabilitation unit at Shanxi Bethune Hospital between January, 2021 to June, 2021 were included in the analysis. The control group consisted of people without pain in their shoulder joints. Each group consisted of 30 patients. A high-frequency wire array probe (frequency = 8-16 Hz) was employed in conjunction with an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. A quantitative analytic system determined Young's modulus of the tissue, while the tracking of the shear wave provided an elastin map in real-time. An excitation pulse of acoustic radiation force was used to cause shear waves in the tissue. The Young's modulus of supraspinatus muscle in the study and control groups was 289.16±22.07 Kpa and 231.99±23.61 Kpa, respectively (P <0.01). Young's modulus values of the study group's subscapular biceps were compared to those of the control group (P > 0.05). The supraspinatus shear wave elastographic (SWE) imaging value was 10.01±0.49 m/s in the study group and 7.92±0.50 in the control group (P <0.05). The study and control groups had subscapular muscle SWE values of 15.99±1.95 and 8.64±0.56 m/s, respectively (P <0.05). The average biceps tendon SWE value in the study and control groups was 6.39±0.42 and 4.69±0.36 m/s, respectively (P <0.05). In conclusion, the SWE assessed by ultrasound elastography is useful for early diagnosis and evaluation of the superior shoulder tendon, subscapular tendon, and biceps tendon of CRPS following stroke.

Sonographic imaging of the great occipital nerve in the diagnosis and treatment of primary headache disorders

Primary headaches are a type of headache that occurs independently, without any other underlying medical condition or injury. They are a major concern due to their prevalence in the population and their potential to cause significant disruption to daily life. In past years, new techniques have been developed that utilize sonography in diagnosing and treating headache disorders. Some recent publications have appeared on the use of ultrasound in blocks of the greater occipital nerve and the diagnosis of headaches. For a long time, blocks of the nerve have been performed without target visualization, based on exterior landmarks only. New methods may improve the results of performed procedures. Therefore, this study aims to provide an overview of the applications of ultrasound imaging of the greater occipital nerve in clinical practice.

Application of ultrasound imaging in the treatment of urinary tract stones.

Urinary tract stones are a common clinical condition that affect millions of individuals worldwide. The management of these stones has evolved significantly over the past 70years, and ultrasound imaging has emerged as a valuable tool for diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow-up. This review aims to provide an overview of the application of ultrasound imaging in the treatment of urinary tract stones, highlighting its advantages, limitations, and current advancements in the field.

Performance Comparison of Object Detection Networks for Shrapnel Identification in Ultrasound Images.

Ultrasound imaging is a critical tool for triaging and diagnosing subjects but only if images can be properly interpreted. Unfortunately, in remote or military medicine situations, the expertise to interpret images can be lacking. Machine-learning image interpretation models that are explainable to the end user and deployable in real time with ultrasound equipment have the potential to solve this problem. We have previously shown how a YOLOv3 (You Only Look Once) object detection algorithm can be used for tracking shrapnel, artery, vein, and nerve fiber bundle features in a tissue phantom. However, real-time implementation of an object detection model requires optimizing model inference time. Here, we compare the performance of five different object detection deep-learning models with varying architectures and trainable parameters to determine which model is most suitable for this shrapnel-tracking ultrasound image application. We used a dataset of more than 16,000 ultrasound images from gelatin tissue phantoms containing artery, vein, nerve fiber, and shrapnel features for training and evaluating each model. Every object detection model surpassed 0.85 mean average precision except for the detection transformer model. Overall, the YOLOv7tiny model had the higher mean average precision and quickest inference time, making it the obvious model choice for this ultrasound imaging application. Other object detection models were overfitting the data as was determined by lower testing performance compared with higher training performance. In summary, the YOLOv7tiny object detection model had the best mean average precision and inference time and was selected as optimal for this application. Next steps will implement this object detection algorithm for real-time applications, an important next step in translating AI models for emergency and military medicine.

Shear Wave Dispersion in Chronic Liver Disease: From Physical Principles to Clinical Usefulness.

The development of new applications in ultrasound (US) imaging in recent years has strengthened the role of this imaging technique in the management of different pathologies, particularly in the setting of liver disease. Improved B-mode imaging (3D and 4D), contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) and especially US-based elastography techniques have created the concept of multiparametric ultrasound (MP-US), a term borrowed from radiological sectional imaging. Among the new elastography techniques, shear wave dispersion is a newly developed imaging technology which enables the assessment of the shear waves' dispersion slope. The analysis of the dispersion qualities of shear waves might be indirectly related to the tissue viscosity, thus providing biomechanical information concerning the pathologic state of the liver such as necroinflammation. Some of the most recent US devices have been embedded with software that evaluate the dispersion of shear waves/liver viscosity. In this review, the feasibility and the clinical applications of liver viscosity are reviewed based on the preliminary findings of both animal and human studies.

Deep Learning-Based Ultrasound Beam Shaping for Spatiotemporal Acoustic Holograms Generation

Acoustical hologram generation can be achieved via controlled beam shaping by engineering the transmitted phases to create a desired pattern. Optically inspired phase retrieval algorithms and standard beam shaping methods assume continuous wave (CW) insonation, which successfully generate acoustic holograms for therapeutic applications that involve long burst transmissions. However, a phase engineering technique designed for single-cycle transmission and capable of achieving spatiotemporal interference of the transmitted pulses is needed for imaging applications. Toward this goal, we developed a multilevel residual deep convolutional network for calculating the inverse process that will yield the phase map for the creation of a multifoci pattern. The ultrasound deep learning (USDL) method was trained on simulated training pairs of multifoci patterns in the focal plane and their corresponding phase maps in the transducer plane, where propagation between the planes was performed via singe cycle transmission. The USDL method outperformed the standard Gerchberg-Saxton (GS) method, when transmitted with single cycle excitation, in parameters including the number of focal spots that were generated successfully and their pressure and uniformity. In addition, the USDL method was shown to be flexible in generating patterns with large focal spacing, uneven spacing, and nonuniform amplitudes. In simulations, the largest improvement was obtained for four foci patterns, where the GS method succeeded in creating 25% of the requested patterns, while the USDL method successfully created 60% of the patterns. These results were confirmed experimentally via hydrophone measurements. Our findings suggest that deep learning-based beam shaping can facilitate the next generation of acoustical holograms for ultrasound imaging applications.