Experimental validation of a novel technique for ultrasound imaging of cardiac fiber orientation

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Experimental 3-D Ultrasound Imaging with 2-D Sparse Arrays using Focused and Diverging Waves

International audienceThree dimensional ultrasound (3-D US) imaging methods based on 2-D array probes are increasingly investigated. However, the experimental test of new 3-D US approaches is contrasted by the need of controlling very large numbers of probe elements. Although this problem may be overcome by the use of 2-D sparse arrays, just a few experimental results have so far corroborated the validity of this approach. In this paper, we experimentally compare the performance of a fully wired 1024-element (32 × 32) array, assumed as reference, to that of a 256-element random and of an " optimized " 2-D sparse array, in both focused and compounded diverging wave (DW) transmission modes. The experimental results in 3-D focused mode show that the resolution and contrast produced by the optimized sparse array are close to those of the full array while using 25% of elements. Furthermore, the experimental results in 3-D DW mode and 3-D focused mode are also compared for the first time and they show that both the contrast and the resolution performance are higher when using the 3-D DW at volume rates up to 90/second which represent a 36x speed up factor compared to the focused mode

Cardioprotective effects of shock wave therapy: A cardiac magnetic resonance imaging study on acute ischemia-reperfusion injury

IntroductionCardioprotection strategies remain a new frontier in treating acute myocardial infarction (AMI), aiming at further protect the myocardium from the ischemia-reperfusion damage. Therefore, we aimed at investigating the mechano-transduction effects induced by shock waves (SW) therapy at time of the ischemia reperfusion as a non-invasive cardioprotective innovative approach to trigger healing molecular mechanisms.MethodsWe evaluated the SW therapy effects in an open-chest pig ischemia-reperfusion (IR) model, with quantitative cardiac Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging performed along the experiments at multiple time points (baseline (B), during ischemia (I), at early reperfusion (ER) (∼15 min), and late reperfusion (LR) (3 h)). AMI was obtained by a left anterior artery temporary occlusion (50 min) in 18 pigs (32 ± 1.9 kg) randomized into SW therapy and control groups. In the SW therapy group, treatment was started at the end of the ischemia period and extended during early reperfusion (600 + 1,200 shots @0.09 J/mm2, f = 5 Hz). The MR protocol included at all time points LV global function assessment, regional strain quantification, native T1 and T2 parametric mapping. Then, after contrast injection (gadolinium), we obtained late gadolinium imaging and extra-cellular volume (ECV) mapping. Before animal sacrifice, Evans blue dye was administrated after re-occlusion for area-at-risk sizing.ResultsDuring ischemia, LVEF decreased in both groups (25 ± 4.8% in controls (p = 0.031), 31.6 ± 3.2% in SW (p = 0.02). After reperfusion, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remained significantly decreased in controls (39.9 ± 4% at LR vs. 60 ± 5% at baseline (p = 0.02). In the SW group, LVEF increased quickly ER (43.7 ± 11.4% vs. 52.4 ± 8.2%), and further improved at LR (49.4 ± 10.1) (ER vs. LR p = 0.05), close to baseline reference (LR vs. B p = 0.92). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in myocardial relaxation time (i.e. edema) after reperfusion in the intervention group compared to the control group: ΔT1 (MI vs. remote) was increased by 23.2±% for SW vs. +25.2% for the controls, while ΔT2 (MI vs. remote) increased by +24.9% for SW vs. +21.7% for the control group.DiscussionIn conclusion, we showed in an ischemia-reperfusion open-chest swine model that SW therapy, when applied near the relief of 50′ LAD occlusion, led to a nearly immediate cardioprotective effect translating to a reduction in the acute ischemia-reperfusion lesion size and to a significant LV function improvement. These new and promising results related to the multi-targeted effects of SW therapy in IR injury need to be confirmed by further in-vivo studies in close chest models with longitudinal follow-up

Validation of a new generation of HIFU probes while using MRI thermometry

L’objectif principal du projet concerne l’étude sous contrôle IRM de nouveaux transducteurs HIFU pour la thérapie. Le premier sous-projet vise la caractérisation d’une sonde HIFU pour le traitement des varices et l’optimisation des paramètres de tir en fonction de la profondeur de la veine dans le tissu. Des mesures acoustiques avec un hydrophone ont confirmé la création d’une ligne de focalisation. Une étude ex vivo utilisant des veines humaines excisées a été réalisée avec l’IRM de température haute résolution afin d’établir des paramètres d'efficacité et de sécurité. La deuxième partie est une étude de sonde sectorielle pour le traitement du cancer de la prostate. La méthode utilisée actuellement par Ablatherm a été comparée avec la méthode sectorielle, en alternant les deux secteurs de la sonde. Les résultats montrent que la forme et les dimensions de la lésion sont les mêmes, avec un gain de temps est de 20%. Troisièmement nous avons étudié une sonde à focalisation dynamique pour le traitement du cancer de la prostate. La validation in vitro et in vivo a été effectuée. Des points focaux distants de 32 à 69mm de la sonde ont été obtenus et des séquences décrivant des lignes, des tranches et des volumes ont été testées. Les cartes de température et de dose thermique montrent que la stratégie de sonication est adéquate pour induire une dose létale homogène de la forme désirée, ce qui permet un traitement mieux adapté en fonction l’anatomie de chaque patient. L’IRM nous a permis de mesurer de façon non-invasive et en temps réel la température au sein des tissus soumis au tir ultrasonore et de visualiser le volume détruit ainsi que les tissus adjacentsThe main objective of the project concerns the study of new HIFU transducers for therapy using MRI guidance. The first sub-project aims the characterization of a HIFU probe for the treatment of the varices and the optimization of the shooting parameters according to the vein depth in the tissue. Acoustic measurements with a hydrophone were carried out in order to confirm the creation of a focalization line. An ex-vivo study using human excised veins was realized using high resolution MRI temperature control in order measure efficiency and security parameters. The second part is a study of a sector switching probe for prostate cancer treatment. The method used by Ablatherm was compared with the sector switching method, by alternating the two sectors of the probe. Results show that the lesion shape and the dimensions are the same for the two methods, but the time saving is 20% for the sector switching probe. A dynamic focalization probe for the prostate cancer treatment was studied for the last experimental part. In vitro and in vivo validation was carried out. Focal points at several distances (between 32 mm and 69 mm with respect to the probe) were obtained and sequences describing lines, splits and volumes were tested. The temperature and thermal dose maps show that the sonication strategy is adequate for inducing a homogenous lethal dose of the desired form. A treatment better adapted to the anatomy of each patient can be performed with this technique. The MRI allowed us to measure in a non-invasive manner and in real time the temperature within tissues subject to ultrasonic shooting and to visualize both the ablated volume and the adjacent tissue

3D+t Vector Flow Imaging with Transverse Oscillations and Doppler Estimator

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3D Fast Ultrasound Imaging Through Pulse Compression: An Experimental Study

International audience3D fast/ultrasound imaging has emerged in the last years in research but still suffers from its poor image quality. Indeed, using plane/diverge waves does not permit to insonify the medium with sufficient energy at each point to get a good signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise-ratio or even resolution. On the other hand, coded excitation is currently used to increase signal-to-noise ratio and penetration depth. In this work, the objective is to combine 3D fast/ultrafast imaging with coded excitation to achieve better image quality at a high acquisition rate. Promising experimental results are obtained from both wire and cyst phantoms using a chirp excitation signal. The contrast-to-noise ratio and signal-to-noise ratio were improved by 4 dB and 2 dB respectively by the proposed method in comparison to the conventional way to do 3D imaging using a standard transmit. The improvement of the axial resolution of about 17% is the third important result obtained by the developed method still in comparison with the classical method. Experimental results show that an effective implementation on a research scanner of 3D coded excitation using plane wave imaging is possible

Relative shear modulus mapping in quasi-static ultrasound elastography: a plane stress-based approach

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