High Frequency Ultrasound Imaging Research Articles

A clinical decision support system for predicting cirrhosis stages via high frequency ultrasound images

Many visceral organs contain two important structures: capsule and parenchyma. As a non-invasive examination method, ultrasound is widely used. In this study, we develop a computational framework that consists of capsule localization and parenchyma assessment for disease diagnosis.Clinical decision support system helps providing standard, objective and timely diagnosis. However, although current cirrhosis diagnosis methods are mainly based on the images produced from medical imaging technique and experienced clinicians subjective analysis, many imaging techniques are invasive, and experienced clinicians are in short supply, especially in underdeveloped regions. The proposed system employs an incremental classification model for grading parenchyma patch stages in predicting cirrhosis stages from high frequency ultrasound images. The incremental classification model is based on auto-extracted membrane structures along with patch-ensemble model, using a severe-first strategy. The framework firstly applies multi-scale capsule extraction automatically. The lesions of the capsule and parenchyma show increasing changes in the first three stages. In the final stage, due to the liver ascites, partial lesions restore to normal. To handle the inconsecutive change, the proposed patch-ensemble model applies two layers. We firstly recognize images belong to the severe stage via capsule-specific CIFAR in the first layer. Parenchyma-aimed Resnet is then applied to classify rest images into rest stages. In each layer a data split and aggregation scheme is proposed to evaluate the cirrhosis stage for liver images.The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves high precision and effectiveness and can be effectively applied to the auxiliary diagnosis of cirrhosis. Some integral parts of the system are also available for visceral organs with similar structure.

Quantitative Evaluation of Cirrhosis by Geometrical Characteristics of Hepatic Capsule Based on High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging: an Experimental Study

Quantitative Evaluation of Cirrhosis by Geometrical Characteristics of Hepatic Capsule Based on High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging: an Experimental Study

3Pb5-2 Visualization of subcutaneous flow tract using SVD filtering of ultrafast high frequency ultrasound imaging

3Pb5-2 Visualization of subcutaneous flow tract using SVD filtering of ultrafast high frequency ultrasound imaging

Ultrasound image of healthy skin in newborns in the first 24 hours of life.

IntroductionUltrasound imaging is a safe, repeatable and easily available imaging procedure. Based on these qualities, it may become a useful tool for skin assessment in newborns. Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of high-frequency ultrasound imaging for neonatal skin assessment. Another aim was to identify differences in ultrasound features of the skin in newborns depending on the examination site, sex, age, birth weight, and arterial blood gas results.Material and methodA total of 72 newborns in the first 24 hours of life, without any skin lesions, were included in the study. All newborns underwent ultrasound skin examinations in three body sites (forearm, abdomen and thigh) during the first 24 hours of life. DermaMed Ultrasound Scanner with a 48 MHz probe was used for imaging. A total of three structures were identified in the ultrasound images: epidermal echo, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. The study assessed the thickness of the epidermis and dermis, and the echogenicity of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. Data were analysed to determine possible links with sex, post-conceptional age, body weight, birth route, and results of umbilical cord blood gas analysis.ResultsDepending on the body site examined, the mean epidermal thickness was 0.081 to 0.083 mm, while the mean thickness of the dermis ranged between 0.679 and 0.722 mm. The newborns with higher birth weights were shown to have a thicker epidermis regardless of the examined site [R (correlation coefficient) for the forearm: 0.47 (p <0.001), abdomen: 0.53 (p <0.001), thigh: 0.48 (p <0.001)]. A positive correlation was found between epidermal and dermal thickness (R = 0.34; p = 0.004), but a comparison of the three examined sites revealed no significant differences in the thickness of the two structures. The sex of the newborn had no significant effect on the ultrasound features of the skin. None of the ultrasound parameters under study was found to correlate with the pH level in umbilical cord blood gas analysis. Subcutaneous oedema was detected in the examined sites in all the newborns studied.ConclusionsHigh-frequency ultrasound imaging may become a useful method for neonatal skin assessment, complementing existing diagnostic techniques for monitoring pathologically altered skin.

High resolution ultrasound imaging for repeated measure of wound tissue morphometry, biomechanics and hemodynamics under fetal, adult and diabetic conditions.

Non-invasive, repeated interrogation of the same wound is necessary to understand the tissue repair continuum. In this work, we sought to test the significance of non-invasive high-frequency high-resolution ultrasound technology for such interrogation. High-frequency high-resolution ultrasound imaging was employed to investigate wound healing under fetal and adult conditions. Quantitative tissue cellularity and elastic strain was obtained for visualization of unresolved inflammation using Vevo strain software. Hemodynamic properties of the blood flow in the artery supplying the wound-site were studied using color Doppler flow imaging. Non-invasive monitoring of fetal and adult wound healing provided unprecedented biomechanical and functional insight. Fetal wounds showed highly accelerated closure with transient perturbation of wound tissue cellularity. Fetal hemodynamics was unique in that sharp fall in arterial pulse pressure (APP) which was rapidly restored within 48h post-wounding. In adults, APP transiently increased post-wounding before returning to the pre-wounding levels by d10 post-wounding. The pattern of change in the elasticity of wound-edge tissue of diabetics was strikingly different. Severe strain acquired during the early inflammatory phase persisted with a slower recovery of elasticity compared to that of the non-diabetic group. Wound bed of adult diabetic mice (db/db) showed persistent hypercellularity compared to littermate controls (db/+) indicative of prolonged inflammation. Normal skin strain of db/+ and db/db were asynchronous. In db/db, severe strain acquired during the early inflammatory phase persisted with a slower recovery of elasticity compared to that of non-diabetics. This study showcases a versatile clinically relevant imaging platform suitable for real-time analyses of functional wound healing.

The Potential Effect of Fucoidan on Inhibiting Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition, Proliferation, and Increase in Apoptosis for Endometriosis Treatment: In Vivo and In Vitro Study.

Endometriosis is common in reproductive-age women and its pathology is to increase proliferation and migration to enhance epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition progression (EMT). However, treatments are currently limited, so it is important to explore new therapeutic drugs. Hence, in this study, we investigate the therapeutic effect of fucoidan (FC) on the progression and mechanisms of endometriosis. The cell viability of endometrial cell lines End1/E6E7 and Vk2/E6E7 treated with different concentrations of FC were assessed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and cell counting. Cell migration was evaluated using wound-healing assay. In an in vivo experiment, female Balb/c mice received surgically induced endometriosis followed by different concentrations of fucoidan for 6 weeks. High-frequency ultrasound imaging was applied to detect subsequent lesion growth. The results demonstrated that fucoidan inhibited the viability and migration ability of End1/E6E7 and Vk2/E6E7 cells. Additionally, the administration of fucoidan reduced the volume and weight of endometriotic lesions, decreased inflammatory cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of serum and lesions, and improved EMT proliferation and apoptosis-related protein expression. For the first time, fucoidan indicated anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects as well as inhibited EMT progression and induced apoptosis, improving endometriosis.

HFUS Imaging of the Cochlea: A Feasibility Study for Anatomical Identification by Registration with MicroCT.

Cochlear implantation consists in electrically stimulating the auditory nerve by inserting an electrode array inside the cochlea, a bony structure of the inner ear. In the absence of any visual feedback, the insertion results in many cases of damages of the internal structures. This paper presents a feasibility study on intraoperative imaging and identification of cochlear structures with high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS). 6 ex-vivo guinea pig cochleae were subjected to both US and microcomputed tomography (µCT) we respectively referred as intraoperative and preoperative modalities. For each sample, registration based on simulating US from the scanner was performed to allow a precise matching between the visible structures. According to two otologists, the procedure led to a target registration error of 0.32mm ± 0.05. Thanks to referring to a better preoperative anatomical representation, we were able to intraoperatively identify the modiolus, both scalae vestibuli and tympani and deduce the location of the basilar membrane, all of which is of great interest for cochlear implantation. Our main objective is to extend this procedure to the human case and thus provide a new tool for inner ear surgery.

Forward-Looking Multimodal Endoscopic System Based on Optical Multispectral and High-Frequency Ultrasound Imaging Techniques for Tumor Detection.

We developed a forward-looking (FL) multimodal endoscopic system that offers color, spectral classified, high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) B-mode, and integrated backscattering coefficient (IBC) images for tumor detection in situ. Examination of tumor distributions from the surface of the colon to deeper inside is essential for determining a treatment plan of cancer. For example, the submucosal invasion depth of tumors in addition to the tumor distributions on the colon surface is used as an indicator of whether the endoscopic dissection would be operated. Thus, we devised the FL multimodal endoscopic system to offer information on the tumor distribution from the surface to deep tissue with high accuracy. This system was evaluated with bilayer gelatin phantoms which have different properties at each layer of the phantom in a lateral direction. After evaluating the system with phantoms, it was employed to characterize forty human colon tissues excised from cancer patients. The proposed system could allow us to obtain highly resolved chemical, anatomical, and macro-molecular information on excised colon tissues including tumors, thus enhancing the detection of tumor distributions from the surface to deep tissue. These results suggest that the FL multimodal endoscopic system could be an innovative screening instrument for quantitative tumor characterization.

A novel method for accurate extraction of liver capsule and auxiliary diagnosis of liver cirrhosis based on high-frequency ultrasound images

Liver cirrhosis is a common chronic progressive disease with a high mortality rate. The early diagnosis and treatment of liver cirrhosis is an important research subject in the medical field. In this paper, a novel method is proposed for the accurate extraction of the liver capsule and auxiliary diagnosis of cirrhosis based on high frequency ultrasound images. First, a self-developed method is used to extract the predictive capsule of ultrasound images, which involves the detection of liver ascites with sliding windows, image enhancement with multiscale detail and fuzzy set, structure segmentation with morphological processing, and predictive capsule detection with traversal search method. Thereafter, the real capsule is obtained by the gray difference method according to different gray values between the liver capsule region of the original ultrasound images and the set threshold. Finally, according to the analysis of smoothness, as well as the continuity and fluctuation of predictive and real capsule, four novel features called NoL, VoS, CV, and NoF are proposed for the computer auxiliary diagnosis model. This model is designed on the basis of support vector machine and k-means clustering and can classify normal liver and three liver cirrhosis stages. The experimental results reveal that the accuracy of the liver capsule extraction using this model is 95.13% and final classification accuracy of four stages can reach 92.54%, 88.46%, 89.23% and 94.55%, respectively. The results also indicate that the method proposed in this paper can achieve the classification of liver cirrhosis stages much more accurately and efficiently compared with previously utilized methods.

A Tumbling Magnetic Microrobot System for Biomedical Applications.

A microrobot system comprising an untethered tumbling magnetic microrobot, a two-degree-of-freedom rotating permanent magnet, and an ultrasound imaging system has been developed for in vitro and in vivo biomedical applications. The microrobot tumbles end-over-end in a net forward motion due to applied magnetic torque from the rotating magnet. By turning the rotational axis of the magnet, two-dimensional directional control is possible and the microrobot was steered along various trajectories, including a circular path and P-shaped path. The microrobot is capable of moving over the unstructured terrain within a murine colon in in vitro, in situ, and in vivo conditions, as well as a porcine colon in ex vivo conditions. High-frequency ultrasound imaging allows for real-time determination of the microrobot’s position while it is optically occluded by animal tissue. When coated with a fluorescein payload, the microrobot was shown to release the majority of the payload over a 1-h time period in phosphate-buffered saline. Cytotoxicity tests demonstrated that the microrobot’s constituent materials, SU-8 and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), did not show a statistically significant difference in toxicity to murine fibroblasts from the negative control, even when the materials were doped with magnetic neodymium microparticles. The microrobot system’s capabilities make it promising for targeted drug delivery and other in vivo biomedical applications.

Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome using Shear Wave Elastography and High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging

The performance of ultrasound features from shear wave elastography (SWE) and high-frequency ultrasound imaging was evaluated independently and in combination to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Twenty-five subjects were imaged in a sitting position with an arm extended and palm facing up. SWE of the medial nerve (MN) was acquired at the wrist level (site 1) and proximal to the pronator quadratus muscle (site 2). Cross-sectional area (CSA) and vascularity of the MN were assessed at the wrist using a 24 MHz probe. Color and power Doppler imaging (CDI and PDI), monochrome and color-coded Superb Microvascular Imaging (SMI) were performed for vascularity assessments. The diagnosis and severity of CTS was determined by clinical and electrodiagnostic tests. Diagnostic performance of the ultrasound features was assessed by t-tests, ANOVAs, and ROC analysis. The study included 20 control hands and 27 hands with CTS. All ultrasound features except for the stiffness ratio were significantly different between the CTS and control wrists (p<0.04). The stiffness of MN at site 1 showed a higher accuracy than at site 2. The combination of CSA and MN stiffness from site 2 showed an overall accuracy of 95% with a specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 93%, respectively. The CSA, MN stiffness from site 2, and CDI combination improved the accuracy to 96% with specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 93%, respectively. However, no ultrasound features (independently or in combination) differentiated all stages of CTS severity. SWE with high-frequency ultrasound imaging showed potential for the diagnosis of CTS.

An Overview of Methods for Cardiac Rhythm Detection in Zebrafish.

The heart is the most important muscular organ of the cardiovascular system, which pumps blood and circulates, supplying oxygen and nutrients to peripheral tissues. Zebrafish have been widely explored in cardiotoxicity research. For example, the zebrafish embryo has been used as a human heart model due to its body transparency, surviving several days without circulation, and facilitating mutant identification to recapitulate human diseases. On the other hand, adult zebrafish can exhibit the amazing regenerative heart muscle capacity, while adult mammalian hearts lack this potential. This review paper offers a brief description of the major methodologies used to detect zebrafish cardiac rhythm at both embryonic and adult stages. The dynamic pixel change method was mostly performed for the embryonic stage. Other techniques, such as kymography, laser confocal microscopy, artificial intelligence, and electrocardiography (ECG) have also been applied to study heartbeat in zebrafish embryos. Nevertheless, ECG is widely used for heartbeat detection in adult zebrafish since ECG waveforms’ similarity between zebrafish and humans is prominent. High-frequency ultrasound imaging (echocardiography) and modern electronic sensor tag also have been proposed. Despite the fact that each method has its benefits and limitations, it is proved that zebrafish have become a promising animal model for human cardiovascular disease, drug pharmaceutical, and toxicological research. Using those tools, we conclude that zebrafish behaviors as an excellent small animal model to perform real-time monitoring for the developmental heart process with transparent body appearance, to conduct the in vivo cardiovascular performance and gene function assays, as well as to perform high-throughput/high content drug screening.

High Frequency Ultrasound Image Recovery Using Tight Frame Generative Adversarial Networks.

In ultrasound imaging, there is a trade-off between imaging depth and axial resolution because of physical limitations. Increasing the center frequency of the transmitted ultrasound wave improves the axial resolution of resulting image. However, High Frequency (HF) ultrasound has a shallower depth of penetration. Herein, we propose a novel method based on Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) for achieving a high axial resolution without a reduction in imaging depth. Results on simulated phantoms show that a mapping function between Low Frequency (LF) and HF ultrasound images can be constructed.

WITHDRAWN: Efficacy of High-frequency Ultrasound Image Information Diagnosis on Neurological-abnormality in Patients with Type-2-diabetes Combined with Peripheral- neuropathy

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Dermal exposure to the UV filter benzophenone-3 during early pregnancy affects fetal growth and sex ratio of the progeny in mice.

The aim of this study was to analyze whether dermal exposure to benzophenone 3 (BP-3) during pregnancy affects critical parameters of pregnancy, and whether this exposure may affect the outcome of a second pregnancy in mice. Pregnant mice were exposed to 50-mg BP-3/kg body weight/day or olive oil (vehicle) from gestation day (gd) 0 to gd6 by dermal exposure. High-frequency ultrasound imaging was used to follow up fetal and placental growth in vivo. Blood flow parameters in uterine and umbilical arteries were analyzed by Doppler measurements. Mice were killed at gd5, gd10, and gd14 on the first pregnancy, and at gd10 and 14 on the second pregnancy. The weight of the first and second progenies was recorded, and sex ratio was analyzed. BP-3 levels were analyzed in serum and amniotic fluid. BP-3 reduced the fetal weight at gd14 and feto-placenta index of first pregnancy, with 16.13% of fetuses under the 5th percentile; arteria uterina parameters showed altered pattern at gd10. BP-3 was detected in serum 4h after the exposure at gd6, and in amniotic fluid at gd14. Offspring weight of first progeny was lower in BP-3 group. Placenta weights of BP-3 group were decreased in second pregnancy. First and second progenies of mothers exposed to BP-3 showed a higher percentage of females (female sex ratio). Dermal exposure to low dose of BP-3 during early pregnancy resulted in an intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) phenotype, disturbed sex ratio and alterations in the growth curve of the offspring in mouse model.

A novel CNTs array-PDMS composite with anisotropic thermal conductivity for optoacoustic transducer applications

As a promising ultrasound device, the optoacoustic transducer whose core part is an organic/inorganic composite, causes much attention and creates new opportunities. Unfortunately, how to control its operational frequency is still an open question. Here, taking the advantage of an aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) array-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite with anisotropic thermal conductivity, we introduce a novel optoacoustic transducer. Based on an advanced inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching technology, the composite's thickness can be reduced from 200 μm to 18 μm. When its thickness is approximately 18 μm, high frequency (>20 MHz) laser-generated ultrasound can be obtained. It is demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that the transducer's operational frequency is reverse proportion to the thickness of CNTs array-PDMS composite, which can confirm that this optoacoustic transducer works in thickness mode. Furthermore, this kind of device can be miniaturized and amounted on tip of an optical fiber to realize all optical high frequency ultrasound imaging. All these encouraging results suggest that this novel CNTs array-PDMS composite may provide an effective path for the frequency control of the optoacoustic transducer and this obtained device has the potential to be used for biomedical ultrasound applications in the future.

P162 Cross-validation and complementary value of optical coherence tomography and high frequency ultrasound for the assessment of skin disease in systemic sclerosis

Abstract Background The modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) is the current gold standard for skin assessment in systemic sclerosis (SSc) both in clinical trials and practice. Several studies have reported that skin high frequency ultrasound (HFUS) and, more recently, optical coherence tomography (OCT) are able to reflect the severity of the skin disease in SSc. Aim of the study was to compare OCT and HFUS in the assessment of skin involvement in SSc. Methods Dorsal forearm skin of consecutive diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) patients and matched-healthy controls (HC) were scanned using OCT and HFUS by investigators blinded to the clinical details using Vivosight scanner (1 assessor) and Esaote MyLab70 equipped with a 22 MHZ probe (2 assessors) respectively. Minimum Optical Density (MinOD), Maximum OD (MaxOD) and OD at 300 micron-depth (OD300) (OCT) and skin thickness (HFUS) were measured. Clinical involvement was assessed by a blinded operator using the mRSS and results were cross matched with imaging data. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism software V.7.0. Results A total of 88 OCT images and 176 HFUS images were obtained from 22 dcSSc patients [20 Female, mean age 49 (±11) years, 12 with &amp;lt; 5 years disease duration) and 22 HC (20 Female, mean age 50.7 (±6.7) years]. All OCT measures (MinOD, MaxOD and OD300) were significantly lower in SSc patients than in HC (p = 0.011, p &amp;lt; 0.0001, p &amp;lt; 0.0001 respectively). HFUS showed a lower performance in discriminating SSc skin vs HC compared to OCT (overall AUC 0.6 vs 0.72, 0.8 and 0.89 for MinOD, MaxOD and OD300 respectively). Nevertheless, mean HFUS skin thickness significantly correlated with mRSS at site of analysis (r = 0.47, p = 0.0013) and showed overall excellent interobserver reliability between assessors (ICC &amp;gt;0.8). Importantly, MaxOD and OD300 negatively correlated with HFUS skin thickness (r=-0.32, p = 0.035; r=-0.31, p = 0.039). Conclusion OCT of the skin has been previously validated against skin biopsy in SSc. Our results validate HFUS against OCT and indicate that HFUS of the skin is a reliable measure of skin involvement. Further, here we show that HFUS and OCT outperform each other in measuring different aspects of skin involvement in SSc and they offer complementary surrogate outcome measures of disease. Disclosures D. Temiz Karadag None. G. Lettieri None. V. Picerno None. O. Gundogdu None. M. Padula None. G.A. Mennillo None. A.A. Padula None. F. Del Galdo None. S. D'Angelo None. G. Abignano None.

Efficacy of Oral Micronutrient Supplementation on Linear Nail Growth in Healthy Individuals

Introduction: Several studies demonstrate the effects of the oral supplementations on the skin while there are limited data for their effects on the nail quality in healthy individuals. Only placebo controlled double blind studies could provide the reliable data considering the physiologic nail growth. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of consumption of a micronutrient supplementation on linear nail growth and thickness. Subjects and Method: 60 healthy female volunteers aged 35 to 65 years old were enrolled, randomized blindly in treatment and placebo groups, taking one tablet per day for 3 months. The evaluation was performed on D0 and D90 ± 3 days by measuring the linear nail growth, nail thickness by high frequency ultrasound imaging and also subjects’ self-assessment. Results: All 60 subjects finished the study without any serious adverse event. At D90 both groups revealed a significant linear nail growth (5.20 ± 0.35 for treatment group (p = 0.001) and 5.15 ± 0.30 for placebo group (p = 0.001)). However, the difference between the treatment and placebo group was statistically significant (p = 0.01) demonstrating the efficacy of oral supplementation on linear nail growth. No significant difference was observed at D90 for nail thickness measured with HFUS between 2 groups. The self-assessment score regarding ?brittle nails? and ?split nails? was diminished non-significantly in both groups. Conclusion: The results observed in this trial revealed that the oral micronutrient supplementation can provide beneficial effect on nail growth. This result may be due to the whole formula as the single vitamin treatment like biotin was shown to be non-effective. A longer study would be needed to confirm the efficacy on nail thickness.

2Pb5-8 Preliminary Study of Skin Microvasculature Visualization by High Frequency Ultrasound Plane Wave Imaging

2Pb5-8 Preliminary Study of Skin Microvasculature Visualization by High Frequency Ultrasound Plane Wave Imaging

High-frequency ultrasound deformation imaging for adult zebrafish during heart regeneration.

The adult human heart cannot efficiently generate new cardiac muscle cells in response to injury, and, therefore, cardiac injury results in irreversible damage to cardiac functions. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a crucial animal model in cardiac research because of its remarkable capacity for tissue regeneration. An adult zebrafish can completely regenerate cardiac tissue without a scar being formed, even after 20% of its ventricular myocardium has been resected. Zebrafish have been utilized in developmental biology and genetics research; however, the details of myocardium motions during their cardiac cycle in different regeneration phases are still not fully understood. In this study, we used a 70-MHz high-resolution ultrasound deformation imaging system to observe the functional recovery of zebrafish hearts after amputation of the ventricular apex. The myocardial deformation and cardiac output (CO) were measured in different regeneration phases relative to the day of amputation. In response to the damage to the heart, the peak systolic strain (εmax) and strain during ejection time (εej) were lower than normal at 3 days after the myocardium amputation. The CO had normalized to the baseline values at 7 days after surgery. Our results confirm that the imaging system constructed for this study is suitable for examining zebrafish cardiac functions during heart regeneration.