The acoustic lens design and in vivo use of a multifunctional catheter combining intracardiac ultrasound imaging and electrophysiology sensing

A multifunctional 9F intracardiac imaging and electrophysiology mapping catheter was developed and tested to help guide diagnostic and therapeutic intracardiac electrophysiology (EP) procedures. The catheter tip includes a 7.25-MHz, 64-element, side-looking phased array for high resolution sector scanning. Multiple electrophysiology mapping sensors were mounted as ring electrodes near the array for electrocardiographic synchronization of ultrasound images. The catheter array elevation beam performance in particular was investigated. An acoustic lens for the distal tip array designed with a round cross section can produce an acceptable elevation beam shape; however, the velocity of sound in the lens material should be approximately 155 m/s slower than in tissue for the best beam shape and wide bandwidth performance. To help establish the catheter's unique ability for integration with electrophysiology interventional procedures, it was used in vivo in a porcine animal model, and demonstrated both useful intracardiac echocardiographic visualization and simultaneous 3-D positional information using integrated electroanatomical mapping techniques. The catheter also performed well in high frame rate imaging, color flow imaging, and strain rate imaging of atrial and ventricular structures.     

Challenges and implementation of radiation-force imaging with an intracardiac ultrasound transducer

Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) has been demonstrated to be an effective imaging modality for the guidance of several cardiac procedures, including radiofrequency ablation (RFA). However, assessing lesion size during the ablation with conventional ultrasound has been limited, as the associated changes within the B-mode images often are subtle. Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging is a promising modality to monitor RFAs as it is capable of visualizing variations in local stiffnesses within the myocardium. We demonstrate ARFI imaging with an intracardiac probe that creates higher quality images of the developing lesion. We evaluated the performance of an ICE probe with ARFI imaging in monitoring RFAs. The intracardiac probe was used to create high contrast, high resolution ARFI images of a tissue-mimicking phantom containing stiffer spherical inclusions. The probe also was used to examine an excised segment of an ovine right ventricle with a RFA-created surface lesion. Although the lesion was not visible in conventional B-mode images, the ARFI images were able to show the boundaries between the lesion and the surrounding tissue. ARFI imaging with an intracardiac probe then was used to monitor cardiac ablations in vivo. RFAs were performed within the right atrium of an ovine heart, and B-mode and ARFI imaging with the intracardiac probe was used to monitor the developing lesions. Although there was little indication of a developing lesion within the B-mode images, the corresponding ARFI images displayed regions around the ablation site that displaced less.     

Feasibility of noncontact intracardiac ultrasound ablation and imaging catheter for treatment of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects 1% of the population and results in a cost of 2.8 billion dollars from hospitalizations alone. Treatments that electrically isolate portions of the atria are clinically effective in curing AF. However, such minimally invasive catheter treatments face difficulties in mechanically positioning the catheter tip and visualizing the anatomy of the region. We propose a noncontact, intracardiac transducer that can ablate tissue and provide rudimentary imaging to guide therapy. Our design consists of a high-power, 20 mm by 2 mm, 128-element, transducer array placed on the side of 7-French catheter. The transducer will be used in imaging mode to locate the atrial wall; then, by focusing at that location, a lesion can be formed. Imaging of previously formed lesions could potentially guide placement of subsequent lesions. Successive rotations of the catheter will potentially enable a contiguous circular lesion to be created around the pulmonary vein. The challenge of intracardiac-sized transducers is achieving high intensities (300-5000 W/cm2) needed to raise the temperature of the tissue above 43 degrees C. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of an intracardiac-sized transducer for treatment of atrial fibrillation. In simulations and proof-of-concept experiments, we show a 37 degrees C temperature rise in the lesion location and demonstrate the possibility of lesion imaging.     

Characterization of reperfused infarcted myocardium from high-frequency intracardiac ultrasound imaging using homodyned K distribution

Myocardial changes caused by infarction/reperfusion (contraction band necrosis, hemorrhage, edema, etc.) may result in an increased scatterer density and a variation in scatterer arrangement. This paper, for the first time, models most of the scattering conditions resulting from the interaction of ultrasound and normal/reperfused infarcted myocardium using the homodyned K distribution. Furthermore, this method is used to characterize the change in scatterer density by calculating the effective scatterer number per resolution cell. The reliability and the effects of attenuation and scan conversion on effective scatterer number estimation are discussed. We used in vivo data acquired using high-frequency intracardiac ultrasound imaging (8.5 MHz) from the left and right ventricles of open-chest pigs in an acute infarction/reperfusion model. The results show that the homodyned K distribution describes the statistical distribution of backscattered signal from both normal and abnormal myocardium. A significant increase in scatterer density occurs in the infarcted region after reperfusion compared with the same region at baseline (normal myocardium prior to occlusion). The scatterer density of the normal region does not change significantly after reperfusion. We conclude that the homodyned K distribution may characterize normal and reperfused infarcted myocardium using high-frequency intracardiac ultrasound images.     

3-D ultrasound imaging using a forward-looking CMUT ring array for intravascular/intracardiac applications

Forward-viewing ring arrays can enable new applications in intravascular and intracardiac ultrasound. This work presents compelling, full-synthetic, phased-array volumetric images from a forward-viewing capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) ring array wire bonded to a custom integrated circuit front end. The CMUT ring array has a diameter of 2 mm and 64 elements each 100 microm x 100 microm in size. In conventional mode, echo signals received from a plane reflector at 5 mm had 70% fractional bandwidth around a center frequency of 8.3 MHz. In collapse mode, 69% fractional bandwidth is measured around 19 MHz. Measured signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the echo averaged 16 times was 29 dB for conventional operation and 35 dB for collapse mode. B-scans were generated of a target consisting of steel wires 0.3 mm in diameter to determine resolution performance. The 6 dB axial and lateral resolutions for the B-scan of the wire target are 189 microm and 0.112 radians for 8 MHz, and 78 microm and 0.051 radians for 19 MHz. A reduced firing set suitable for real-time, intravascular applications was generated and shown to produce acceptable images. Rendered three-dimensional (3-D) images of a Palmaz-Schatz stent also are shown, demonstrating that the imaging quality is sufficient for practical applications.     

压缩感知在医学超声成像中的仿真应用研究

为了解决医学超声成像系统中面临的采样率高,数据量大的问题,提出将压缩感知理论方法用于医学超声成像。首先建立了超声信号在时域的稀疏表达模型,然后利用模拟信息转换器对信号进行稀疏采样,最后使用最优化方法完成回波信号重建,利用合成发射孔径方式完成最终超声成像。为了验证算法的有效性,利用Field II对点目标以及复杂组织目标进行了仿真实验,在均方误差、分辨率、对比度以及成像质量上与常规成像结果对比分析。结果表明,采用1/2奈奎斯特采样频率,以30%原始数据所完成的成像仍然可保证良好的图像质量。采用压缩感知理论可以大幅度降低医学超声系统的采样率及总数据量。     

Multifunctional nanoparticles for dual imaging

For imaging with different modalities, labels, which provide contrast for all modalities, are required. Colloidal nanoparticles composed out of an inorganic core and a polymer shell offer progress in this direction. Both, the core and the polymer shell, can be synthesized to be fluorescent, magnetic, or radioactive. When different cores are combined with different polymer shells, different types of particles for dual imaging can be obtained, as for example, fluorescent cores with radioactive polymer shells. Properties and perspectives of such nanoparticles for multimodal imaging are discussed.     

Integrated catheter for 3-D intracardiac echocardiography and ultrasound ablation

A catheter device with integrated ultrasound imaging array and ultrasound ablation transducer is introduced. This device has been designed for use in interventional cardiac procedures in which the cardiac anatomy is first imaged using real-time three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound, then ablated to treat arrhythmias. The imaging array includes 112 elements operating at 5.4 MHz arranged in a 2-D matrix. Individual elements have a bandwidth of 21% and an insertion loss of 80 dB. The array has an azimuth resolution of 12 degrees and an elevation resolution of 8.7 degrees. The ablation transducer is a concentric piezoelectric transducer PZT-4 ring (outside diameter (O.D.), 4.5 mm, inside diameter (I.D.), 3.1 mm) operating at 10 MHz that surrounds the imaging array. It can produce a spatial-peak, temporal-average intensity up to 16 W/cm2. The entire device fits into a 9 Fr lumen with a 14 Fr tip to accommodate the ablation ring. With this device we have imaged, in realtime 3-D, a variety of targets including wire phantoms, fixed sheep hearts, and fresh bovine tissue. The ablation ring has been used to heat tissue-mimicking rubber 14 degrees C, as well as create lesions in fresh bovine tissue.     

Multifunctional probe array for nano patterning and imaging

This letter reports the design, fabrication, and testing of a multifunctional scanning probe array for nanoscale imaging and patterning. The probe array consists of multiple cantilever probes, with each probe being able to perform a dedicated function such as scanning probe lithography (e.g., dip pen nanolithography and scanning probe contact printing) or scanning probe microscopy (e.g., atomic force microscopy and lateral force microscopy). The bending states of each probe can be controlled by using an integrated thermal electric actuator so that it is possible to engage any individual probe(s) independently for writing or imaging purposes. The multifunctional probe array is therefore capable of performing a rich variety of operations with minimal chemical crosstalk and high registration accuracy. It will eliminate the need for probe chip exchanges and increase the operational efficiency. The probe tips in a given array may be made of different materials. Further, the tip and cantilever may be made of different materials for a given probe. In this work, we focus on the development of a probe array consisting of dip pen nanolithography probes, scanning probe contact printing probes (of various tip sizes), and scanning probe microscopy probes.     

Assisted-freehand ultrasound elasticity imaging

Good-quality elasticity imaging requires highly controlled compressions of the breast, which are often challenging to obtain with freehand, even by an experienced radiologist. This paper presents assisted-freehand ultrasound (AFUSON): a fusion of freehand and automated ultrasound systems designed to assisted elasticity imaging acquisition while remaining as flexible as freehand. In the form of a hand-held device, this semi-automatic solution delivers both increased acquisition precision and control. Compared with freehand acquisitions, it reduces out-of-plane motion decorrelation by one-half and lateral motion by one-third, increases within-scan repeatability by 50%, and does so across operators.     

Uniform precision ultrasound strain imaging

Ultrasound strain imaging is becoming increasingly popular as a way to measure stiffness variation in soft tissue. Almost all techniques involve the estimation of a field of relative displacements between measurements of tissue undergoing different deformations. These estimates are often high resolution, but some form of smoothing is required to increase the precision, either by direct filtering or as part of the gradient estimation process. Such methods generate uniform resolution images, but strain quality typically varies considerably within each image, hence a trade-off is necessary between increasing precision in the low-quality regions and reducing resolution in the high-quality regions. We introduce a smoothing technique, developed from the nonparametric regression literature, which can avoid this trade-off by generating uniform precision images. In such an image, high resolution is retained in areas of high strain quality but sacrificed for the sake of increased precision in low-quality areas. We contrast the algorithm with other methods on simulated, phantom, and clinical data, for both 2-D and 3-D strain imaging. We also show how the technique can be efficiently implemented at real-time rates with realistic parameters on modest hardware. Uniform precision nonparametric regression promises to be a useful tool in ultrasound strain imaging.     

Simultaneous near-infrared diffusive light and ultrasound imaging

We have constructed a near-real-time combined imager suitable for simultaneous ultrasound and near-infrared diffusive light imaging and coregistration. The imager consists of a combined hand-held probe and the associated electronics for data acquisition. A two-dimensional ultrasound array is deployed at the center of the combined probe, and 12 dual-wavelength laser source fibers (780 and 830 nm) and 8 optical detector fibers are deployed at the periphery. We have experimentally evaluated the effects of missing optical sources in the middle of the combined probe on the accuracy of the reconstructed optical absorption coefficient and assessed the improvements of a reconstructed absorption coefficient with the guidance of the coregistered ultrasound. The results have shown that, when the central ultrasound array area is in the neighborhood of 2 cm x 2 cm, which corresponds to the size of most commercial ultrasound transducers, the optical imaging is not affected. The results have also shown that the iterative inversion algorithm converges quickly with the guidance of a priori three-dimensional target distribution, and only one iteration is needed to reconstruct an accurate optical absorption coefficient.     

Computational ghost imaging for remote sensing

Computational ghost imaging is a structured-illumination active imager coupled with a single-pixel detector that has potential applications in remote sensing. Here we report on an architecture that acquires the two-dimensional spatial Fourier transform of the target object (which can be inverted to obtain a conventional image). We determine its image signature, resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio in the presence of practical constraints such as atmospheric turbulence, background radiation, and photodetector noise. We consider a bistatic imaging geometry and quantify the resolution impact of nonuniform Kolmogorov-spectrum turbulence along the propagation paths. We show that, in some cases, short-exposure intensity averaging can mitigate atmospheric-turbulence-induced resolution loss. Our analysis reveals some key performance differences between computational ghost imaging and conventional active imaging, and identifies scenarios in which theory predicts that the former will perform better than the latter.     

Acousto-optic imaging spectropolarimetry for remote sensing

We review the operating principles of noncollinear acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF's), emphasizing the use of two orthogonally polarized beams for narrow-band imaging. Spectral characterization and spectral broadening measurements of commercially available AOTF's agree with theoretical predictions and reveal difficulties associated with imaging noncollimated light. An AOTF imaging spectropolarimeter for ground-based astronomy that uses CCD's has been constructed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. It uses a TeO(2) noncollinear AOTF and a simple optical relay assembly to produce side-by-side orthogonally polarized spectral images. We summarize the instrument design and initial performance tests. We include sample spectral images acquired at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory.     

Strain imaging using conventional and ultrafast ultrasound imaging: numerical analysis

In elasticity imaging, the ultrasound frames acquired during tissue deformation are analyzed to estimate the internal displacements and strains. If the deformation rate is high, high-frame-rate imaging techniques are required to avoid the severe decorrelation between the neighboring ultrasound images. In these high-frame-rate techniques, however, the broader and less focused ultrasound beam is transmitted and, hence, the image quality is degraded. We quantitatively compared strain images obtained using conventional and ultrafast ultrasound imaging methods. The performance of the elasticity imaging was evaluated using custom-designed, numerical simulations. Our results demonstrate that signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and spatial resolutions in displacement and strain images acquired using conventional and ultrafast ultrasound imaging are comparable. This study suggests that the high-frame-rate ultrasound imaging can be reliably used in elasticity imaging if frame rate is critical     

Computer model for harmonic ultrasound imaging

Harmonic ultrasound imaging has received great attention from ultrasound scanner manufacturers and researchers. In this paper, we present a computer model that can generate realistic harmonic images. In this model, the incident ultrasound is modeled after the "KZK" equation, and the echo signal is modeled using linear propagation theory because the echo signal is much weaker than the incident pulse. Both time domain and frequency domain numerical solutions to the "KZK" equation were studied. Realistic harmonic images of spherical lesion phantoms were generated for scans by a circular transducer. This model can be a very useful tool for studying the harmonic buildup and dissipation processes in a nonlinear medium, and it can be used to investigate a wide variety of topics related to B-mode harmonic imaging.     

医学超声成像的模拟研究

简述医学超声成像模拟研究的主要方法,探讨其研究意义和应用前景。将现有的超声成像模拟算法分为基于线性假设和基于非线性假设的两大类,介绍每类中代表方法的基本原理,并讨论两类方法的差异,其中基于数值方法求解超声波动方程的模拟算法更符合实际超声成像过程,为更好地理解超声图像中的各种现象、寻求组织特性和图像特征间的匹配关系提供了有效的研究工具。     

Piezoelectric contrast materials for ultrasound imaging

Piezoelectric ceramics and polymers can be used as a type of marker and contrast material for medical ultrasound imaging systems. High-frequency electrical signals are detected from surface electrodes when these materials are introduced into conducting media such as tissue and scanned by ultrasound imaging systems. Detected signals are applied to the imaging circuits of a modified ultrasound system such that they display a unique type of electrical image that shows the piezomaterial's polarization, shape, and position at arbitrarily high contrast compared to the conventional ultrasound acoustic image. The resulting piezoelectric image can be merged in real-time with conventional ultrasound acoustic imaging to form a composite image. This approach is of interest in the development of improved techniques for imaging medical devices that are implanted or otherwise introduced into the body.     

Transducer for harmonic intravascular ultrasound imaging

A recent study has shown the feasibility of tissue harmonic imaging (THI) using an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) transducer. This correspondence describes the design, fabrication, and characterization of a THI-optimized piezoelectric transducer with oval aperture of 0.75 mm by 1 mm. The transducer operated at 20 MHz and 40 MHz, and was comprised of a single piezoelectric layer with additional passive layers. The Krimholtz-Leedom-Matthaei (KLM) model was used to iteratively find optimal material properties of the different layers. The transducer characterization showed -6 dB fractional bandwidths of 30% and 25%, and two-way insertion losses of -20 dB and -36 dB, respectively.