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Zhang C, Lei S, Ma A, Wang B, Wang S, Liu J, Shang D, Zhang Q, Li Y, Zheng H, Ma T. Evaluation of tumor microvasculature with 3D ultrasound localization microscopy based on 2D matrix array. Eur Radiol 2024; 34:5250-5259. [PMID: 38265473 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-023-10039-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Evaluation of tumor microvascular morphology is of great significance in tumor diagnosis, therapeutic effect prediction, and surgical planning. Recently, two-dimensional ultrasound localization microscopy (2DULM) has demonstrated its superiority in the field of microvascular imaging. However, it suffers from planar dependence and is unintuitive. We propose a novel three-dimensional ultrasound localization microscopy (3DULM) to avoid these limitations. METHODS We investigated 3DULM based on a 2D array for tumor microvascular imaging. After intravenous injection of contrast agents, all elements of the 2D array transmit and receive signals to ensure a high and stable frame rate. Microbubble signal extraction, filtering, positioning, tracking, and other processing were used to obtain a 3D vascular map, flow velocity, and flow direction. To verify the effectiveness of 3DULM, it was validated on double helix tubes and rabbit VX2 tumors. Cisplatin was used to verify the ability of 3DULM to detect microvascular changes during tumor treatment. RESULTS In vitro, the sizes measured by 3DULM at 3 mm and 13 mm were 178 μ m and 182 μ m , respectively. In the rabbit tumors, we acquired 9000 volumes to reveal vessels about 30 μ m in diameter, which surpasses the diffraction limit of ultrasound in traditional ultrasound imaging, and the results matched with micro-angiography. In addition, there were significant changes in vascular density and curvature between the treatment and control groups. CONCLUSIONS The effectiveness of 3DULM was verified in vitro and in vivo. Hence, 3DULM may have potential applications in tumor diagnosis, tumor treatment evaluation, surgical protocol guidance, and cardiovascular disease. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT 3D ultrasound localization microscopy is highly sensitive to microvascular changes; thus, it has clinical potential for tumor diagnosis and treatment evaluation. KEY POINTS • 3D ultrasound localization microscopy is demonstrated on double helix tubes and rabbit VX2 tumors. • 3D ultrasound localization microscopy can reveal vessels about 30 μ m in diameter-far smaller than traditional ultrasound. • This form of imaging has potential applications in tumor diagnosis, tumor treatment evaluation, surgical protocol guidance, and cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changlu Zhang
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100000, China
| | - Shuang Lei
- School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Aiqing Ma
- Nanomedicine and Nanoformulations Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Bing Wang
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Jiamei Liu
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Dongqing Shang
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100000, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yongchuan Li
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Hairong Zheng
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100000, China
| | - Teng Ma
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100000, China.
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Li L, Chen J, Huang Y, Wu C, Ye D, Wu W, Zhou X, Qin P, Jia T, Lin Y, Su Z. Precise localization of microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma based on three-dimensional histology-MR image fusion: an ex vivo experimental study. Quant Imaging Med Surg 2023; 13:5887-5901. [PMID: 37711836 PMCID: PMC10498258 DOI: 10.21037/qims-23-220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Background Microvascular invasion (MVI) is an independent risk factor for postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, MVI cannot be detected by conventional imaging. To localize MVI precisely on magnetic resonance (MR) images, we evaluated the feasibility and accuracy of 3-dimensional (3D) histology-MR image fusion of the liver. Methods Animal models of VX2 liver tumors were established in 10 New Zealand white rabbits under ultrasonographic guidance. The whole liver lobe containing the VX2 tumor was extracted and divided into 4 specimens, for a total of 40 specimens. MR images were obtained with a T2-weighted sequence for each specimen, and then histological images were obtained by intermittent, serial pathological sections. 3D histology-MR image fusion was performed via landmark registration in 3D Slicer software. We calculated the success rate and registration errors of image fusion, and then we located the MVI on MR images. Regarding influencing factors, we evaluated the uniformity of tissue thickness after sampling and the uniformity of tissue shrinkage after dehydration. Results The VX2 liver tumor model was successfully established in the 10 rabbits. The incidence of MVI was 80% (8/10). 3D histology-MR image fusion was successfully performed in the 39 specimens, and the success rate was 97.5% (39/40). The average registration error was 0.44±0.15 mm. MVI was detected in 20 of the 39 successfully registered specimens, resulting in a total of 166 MVI lesions. The specific location of all MVI lesions was accurately identified on MR images using 3D histology-MR image fusion. All MVI lesions showed as slightly hyperintense on the high-resolution MR T2-weighted images. The results of the influencing factor assessment showed that the tissue thickness was uniform after sampling (P=0.38), but the rates of the tissue shrinkage was inconsistent after dehydration (P<0.001). Conclusions 3D histology-MR image fusion of the isolated liver tumor model is feasible and accurate and allows for the successful identification of the specific location of MVI on MR images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liujun Li
- Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
- Department of Ultrasound, the First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Jiaxin Chen
- Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Yongquan Huang
- Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Chaoqun Wu
- Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Dalin Ye
- Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Wenhao Wu
- Department of Radiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Xuan Zhou
- Department of Pathology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Peixin Qin
- Department of Radiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Taoyu Jia
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
- Department of Radiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Yuhong Lin
- Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Zhongzhen Su
- Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
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Yang W, Qiu C, Zhai J, Zhang W, Huang C, Shao J, Zhang J, Chen S, Miao X, Chen P, Wei B, Ren J, Wei H. Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction mediates PDE5i/NO integration for cavernosum remodeling and penile rehabilitation. Bioeng Transl Med 2023; 8:e10568. [PMID: 37693040 PMCID: PMC10486332 DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Erectile dysfunction (ED) caused by cavernous nerve injury (CNI) is refractory to heal mainly ascribed to the adverse remodeling of the penis induced by ineffectual microvascular perfusion, fibrosis, and neurotrophins scarcity in cavernosum. Phosphodiesterase type V inhibitors (PDE5i) have been regarded as an alternative candidate drug for avoiding penile neuropathy. However, the therapeutic efficacy is severely limited due to poor accumulation under systemic medication and endogenous nitric oxide (NO) deficiency in cavernosum. Herein, an innovative liposomal microbubble (MB) loaded with both Sildenafil (one of PDE5i) and NO was designed. Ultrasound-targeted MB destruction (UTMD)-mediated efficient release and integration erectogenic agents into corpus cavernosum with high biosafety. On a bilateral CNI rat model, the multifunctional MB-cooperated UTMD improved microvascular perfusion in penis, simultaneously, alleviated hypoxia and oxidative stress, indicating successful activation of NO-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway. Also, evaluation of the endothelial/muscular composition, intracavernosal pressure, and neural integrity in the penis proved that coordinated intervention reversed the abnormal structural remodeling and promoted the recovery of functional erection. Our work demonstrates that MB loading Sildenafil and NO combined with UTMD hold great promise to "awaken" the efficacy of PDE5i in neurogenic ED, which provided a superior option for ensuring penile rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wende Yang
- Department of Gastrointestinal SurgeryThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Chen Qiu
- Department of Medical Ultrasound, Laboratory of Novel Optoacoustic (Ultrasonic) ImagingThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
- Department of UltrasoundThe Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Jiancheng Zhai
- Department of Gastrointestinal SurgeryThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Medical Ultrasound, Laboratory of Novel Optoacoustic (Ultrasonic) ImagingThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Chengwu Huang
- Department of RadiologyMayo Clinic College of Medicine and ScienceRochesterMinnesotaUSA
| | - Jun Shao
- Department of Gastrointestinal SurgeryThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Jingke Zhang
- Department of RadiologyMayo Clinic College of Medicine and ScienceRochesterMinnesotaUSA
| | - Shigao Chen
- Department of RadiologyMayo Clinic College of Medicine and ScienceRochesterMinnesotaUSA
| | - Xiaoyan Miao
- Department of Medical Ultrasound, Laboratory of Novel Optoacoustic (Ultrasonic) ImagingThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Peng Chen
- Department of Gastrointestinal SurgeryThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Bo Wei
- Department of Gastrointestinal SurgeryThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Jie Ren
- Department of Medical Ultrasound, Laboratory of Novel Optoacoustic (Ultrasonic) ImagingThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Hongbo Wei
- Department of Gastrointestinal SurgeryThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
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Song P, Rubin JM, Lowerison MR. Super-resolution ultrasound microvascular imaging: Is it ready for clinical use? Z Med Phys 2023; 33:309-323. [PMID: 37211457 PMCID: PMC10517403 DOI: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2023.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The field of super-resolution ultrasound microvascular imaging has been rapidly growing over the past decade. By leveraging contrast microbubbles as point targets for localization and tracking, super-resolution ultrasound pinpoints the location of microvessels and measures their blood flow velocity. Super-resolution ultrasound is the first in vivo imaging modality that can image micron-scale vessels at a clinically relevant imaging depth without tissue destruction. These unique capabilities of super-resolution ultrasound provide structural (vessel morphology) and functional (vessel blood flow) assessments of tissue microvasculature on a global and local scale, which opens new doors for many enticing preclinical and clinical applications that benefit from microvascular biomarkers. The goal of this short review is to provide an update on recent advancements in super-resolution ultrasound imaging, with a focus on summarizing existing applications and discussing the prospects of translating super-resolution imaging to clinical practice and research. In this review, we also provide brief introductions of how super-resolution ultrasound works, how does it compare with other imaging modalities, and what are the tradeoffs and limitations for an audience who is not familiar with the technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Song
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States; Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States; Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States.
| | - Jonathan M Rubin
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Matthew R Lowerison
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
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Renaudin N, Pezet S, Ialy-Radio N, Demene C, Tanter M. Backscattering amplitude in ultrasound localization microscopy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11477. [PMID: 37455266 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38531-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, Ultrafast ultrasound localisation microscopy has taken non-invasive deep vascular imaging down to the microscopic level. By imaging diluted suspensions of circulating microbubbles in the blood stream at kHz frame rate and localizing the center of their individual point spread function with a sub-resolution precision, it enabled to break the unvanquished trade-off between depth of imaging and resolution by microscopically mapping the microbubbles flux and velocities deep into tissue. However, ULM also suffers limitations. Many small vessels are not visible in the ULM images due to the noise level in areas dimly explored by the microbubbles. Moreover, as the vast majority of studies are performed using 2D imaging, quantification is limited to in-plane velocity or flux measurements which hinders the accurate velocity determination and quantification. Here we show that the backscattering amplitude of each individual microbubble can also be exploited to produce backscattering images of the vascularization with a higher sensitivity compared to conventional ULM images. By providing valuable information about the relative distance of the microbubble to the 2D imaging plane in the out-of-plane direction, backscattering ULM images introduces a physically relevant 3D rendering perception in the vascular maps. It also retrieves the missing information about the out-of-plane motion of microbubbles and provides a way to improve 3D flow and velocity quantification using 2D ULM. These results pave the way to improved visualization and quantification for 2D and 3D ULM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi Renaudin
- Institute Physics for Medicine Paris, Inserm U1273, ESPCI Paris-PSL, Cnrs UMR8063, 75012, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Pezet
- Institute Physics for Medicine Paris, Inserm U1273, ESPCI Paris-PSL, Cnrs UMR8063, 75012, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Ialy-Radio
- Institute Physics for Medicine Paris, Inserm U1273, ESPCI Paris-PSL, Cnrs UMR8063, 75012, Paris, France
| | - Charlie Demene
- Institute Physics for Medicine Paris, Inserm U1273, ESPCI Paris-PSL, Cnrs UMR8063, 75012, Paris, France
| | - Mickael Tanter
- Institute Physics for Medicine Paris, Inserm U1273, ESPCI Paris-PSL, Cnrs UMR8063, 75012, Paris, France.
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Yu J, Dong H, Ta D, Xie R, Xu K. Super-resolution Ultrasound Microvascular Angiography for Spinal Cord Penumbra Imaging. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2023:S0301-5629(23)00202-8. [PMID: 37451953 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2023.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE After spinal cord injury (SCI) or ischemia, timely intervention in the penumbra, such as recanalization and tissue reperfusion, is essential for preservation of its function. However, limited by imaging resolution and micro-blood flow sensitivity, golden standard angiography modalities, including magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA), are still not applicable for spinal cord microvascular imaging. Regarding spinal cord penumbra, to the best of authors' knowledge, currently, there is no efficient in vivo imaging modality for its evaluation. With tens-of-micrometer resolution and deep penetration, advanced ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) could potentially meet the needs of emergent diagnosis and long-term monitoring of spinal cord penumbra. METHODS ULM microvasculature imaging was performed on rats with all laminae removed to obtain the blood supply in major spinal cord segments (C5-L5). For adult rats with spinal cord penumbra induced by compression injury (1 s, 10 s and 15 s), ULM imaging was conducted. The corresponding angiography results are investigated in terms of microvessel saturation, morphology, and flow velocity. The Basso/Beattie/Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale and hematoxylin and eosin staining were utilized for model validation and comparison. RESULTS The feasibility of ULM enabling spinal cord penumbra imaging and development monitoring was demonstrated. The focal injury core and penumbra can be clearly identified using the proposed method. Significant difference of perfusion can be observed after 1 s, 10 s and 15 s compression. Quantitative results show a high correlation between in vivo ultrasonic angiography, BBB functional evaluation and ex vivo histology assessment under different compression duration. CONCLUSION It is demonstrated that the super-resolution ULM micro-vasculature imaging can be used to evaluate the penumbra in spinal cord at acute and early stage of chronic phase, providing an efficient modality for micro-hemodynamics monitoring of the spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjin Yu
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Integrated Chips and Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haoru Dong
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dean Ta
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Integrated Chips and Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Rong Xie
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kailiang Xu
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Integrated Chips and Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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Lei S, Zhang C, Zhu B, Gao Z, Zhang Q, Liu J, Li Y, Zheng H, Ma T. In vivo ocular microvasculature imaging in rabbits with 3D ultrasound localization microscopy. ULTRASONICS 2023; 133:107022. [PMID: 37178486 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2023.107022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Morphological and hemodynamic changes in the ocular vasculature are important signs of various ocular diseases. The evaluation of the ocular microvasculature with high resolution is valuable in comprehensive diagnoses. However, it is difficult for current optical imaging techniques to visualize the posterior segment and retrobulbar microvasculature due to the limited penetration depth of light, particularly when the refractive medium is opaque. Thus, we have developed a 3D ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) imaging method to visualize the ocular microvasculature in rabbits with micron-scale resolution. We used a 32 × 32 matrix array transducer (center frequency: 8 MHz) with a compounding plane wave sequence and microbubbles. Block-wise singular value decomposition spatiotemporal clutter filtering and block-matching 3D denoising were implemented to extract the flowing microbubble signals at different imaging depths with high signal-to-noise ratios. The center points of microbubbles were localized and tracked in 3D space to achieve the micro-angiography. The in vivo results demonstrate the ability of 3D ULM to visualize the microvasculature of the eye in rabbits, where vessels down to 54 μm were successfully revealed. Moreover, the microvascular maps indicated the morphological abnormalities in the eye with retinal detachment. This efficient modality shows potential for use in the diagnosis of ocular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Lei
- School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Changlu Zhang
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Benpeng Zhu
- School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
| | - Zeping Gao
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; National Innovation Center for Advanced Medical Devices, Shenzhen 518126, China
| | - Jiamei Liu
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; National Innovation Center for Advanced Medical Devices, Shenzhen 518126, China
| | - Yongchuan Li
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Hairong Zheng
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Teng Ma
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; National Innovation Center for Advanced Medical Devices, Shenzhen 518126, China.
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Goudot G, Jimenez A, Mohamedi N, Sitruk J, Khider L, Mortelette H, Papadacci C, Hyafil F, Tanter M, Messas E, Pernot M, Mirault T. Assessment of Takayasu's arteritis activity by ultrasound localization microscopy. EBioMedicine 2023; 90:104502. [PMID: 36893585 PMCID: PMC10017361 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) based on ultrafast ultrasound imaging of circulating microbubbles (MB) can image microvascular blood flows in vivo up to the micron scale. Takayasu arteritis (TA) has an increased vascularisation of the thickened arterial wall when active. We aimed to perform vasa vasorum ULM of the carotid wall and demonstrate that ULM can provide imaging markers to assess the TA activity. METHODS Patients with TA were consecutively included with assessment of activity by the National Institute of Health criteria: 5 had active TA (median age 35.8 [24.5-46.0] years) and 11 had quiescent TA (37.2 [31.7-47.3] years). ULM was performed using a 6.4 MHz probe and a dedicated imaging sequence (plane waves with 8 angles, frame rate 500 Hz), coupled with the intravenous injection of MB. Individual MB were localised at a subwavelength scale then tracked, allowing the reconstruction of the vasa vasorum flow anatomy and velocity. FINDINGS ULM allowed to show microvessels and to measure their flow velocity within the arterial wall. The number of MB detected per second in the wall was 121 [80-146] in active cases vs. 10 [6-15] in quiescent cases (p = 0.0005), with a mean velocity of 40.5 [39.0-42.9] mm.s-1 in active cases. INTERPRETATION ULM allows visualisation of microvessels within the thickened carotid wall in TA, with significantly greater MB density in active cases. ULM provides a precise visualisation in vivo of the vasa vasorum and gives access to the arterial wall vascularisation quantification. FUNDING French Society of Cardiology. ART (Technological Research Accelerator) biomedical ultrasound program of INSERM, France.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Goudot
- Vascular Medicine Department, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP, Paris, France; Université Paris Cité, INSERM U970 PARCC, F-75015 Paris, France.
| | - Anatole Jimenez
- Physics for Medicine Paris, INSERM U1273, ESPCI Paris, CNRS UMR 8631, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Nassim Mohamedi
- Vascular Medicine Department, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP, Paris, France; Université Paris Cité, INSERM U970 PARCC, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Jonas Sitruk
- Vascular Medicine Department, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP, Paris, France; Université Paris Cité, INSERM U970 PARCC, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Lina Khider
- Vascular Medicine Department, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP, Paris, France; Université Paris Cité, INSERM U970 PARCC, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Hélène Mortelette
- Vascular Medicine Department, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
| | - Clément Papadacci
- Physics for Medicine Paris, INSERM U1273, ESPCI Paris, CNRS UMR 8631, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Fabien Hyafil
- Nuclear Medicine Department, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Mickaël Tanter
- Physics for Medicine Paris, INSERM U1273, ESPCI Paris, CNRS UMR 8631, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuel Messas
- Vascular Medicine Department, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP, Paris, France; Université Paris Cité, INSERM U970 PARCC, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Pernot
- Physics for Medicine Paris, INSERM U1273, ESPCI Paris, CNRS UMR 8631, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Tristan Mirault
- Vascular Medicine Department, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP, Paris, France; Université Paris Cité, INSERM U970 PARCC, F-75015 Paris, France; French National Reference Centre for Rare Vascular Diseases, FAVA-MULTI, Member of the European Reference Network on Rare Multisystemic Vascular Diseases (VASCERN), F-75015 Paris, France
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Feng X, Das SK, Feng GL, Liu Y, Liu Y, Li B, Du Y. Efficacy and Safety of MRI and CT Guided VX2 Hepatic Para-vascular Tumor Model in Rabbits. Curr Med Imaging 2023; 19:1302-1307. [PMID: 36177619 DOI: 10.2174/1573405618666220929094804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy and safety of 1.5 T MRI and CT-guided VX2 hepatic para-vascular tumor model in rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly and equally divided into MRI-guided group (n=30) and CT-guided group (n=30). Rabbit VX2 tumor fragments were implanted beside the rabbit hepatic great vessels under MRI and CT guidance in the MRI and CT group to evaluate the success rate of tumor model establishment, puncture needle display and tip peripheral vascular situation, operation time and safety. RESULTS In the MRI-guided group, 29 rabbits (29/30, 96.7%) had a successful establishment of liver tumor model, and 1 rabbit had needle metastasis. In the CT-guided group, 24 rabbits (24/30, 80%) had a successful establishment of liver tumor model, while 2 rabbits had needle metastasis, 3 rabbits had metastases in other parts of the liver, and 1 had an unknown cause of death. The differences in tumor model establishment success rate between the two groups were statistically significant (χ2 = 4.043, P < 0.05). The fold number of artifacts at T1WI was 7.26±0.38 for the 20 G coaxial puncture needle in the MRI-guided group and 2.51±0.57 for the 20 G coaxial puncture needle in the CT-guided group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=36.76, P < 0.001), but star-shaped hypodense artifacts would appear around the needle tip. The operation time was longer in the MRI-guided group than in the CT-guided group (13.32±2.45 minutes in the MRI-guided group vs. 8.42±1.46 minutes in the CTguided group; t=9.252, P < 0.001). A small number of ascites occurred in 2 patients (2/30, 6.67%) in the CT-guided group; no serious complications such as liver abscess, jaundice or diaphragmatic perforation were observed in both groups. CONCLUSION Compared with CT, MRI-guided hepatic para-vascular tumor implantation in rabbits might be a more effective modeling method. Although the needle tip pseudopacity of the puncture needle is large and the operation time is long, the incidence of complications is low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Feng
- Department of Radiology, The Second People's Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, Sichuan 644000, P.R. China
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Sushant K Das
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Gui-Ling Feng
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Bing Li
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Yong Du
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
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10
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Lok UW, Huang C, Trzasko JD, Kim Y, Lucien F, Tang S, Gong P, Song P, Chen S. Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Localization Microscopy with Bipartite Graph-Based Microbubble Pairing and Kalman-Filtering-Based Tracking on a 256-Channel Verasonics Ultrasound System with a 32 × 32 Matrix Array. J Med Biol Eng 2022; 42:767-779. [PMID: 36712192 PMCID: PMC9881453 DOI: 10.1007/s40846-022-00755-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) using a 2-D matrix probe and microbubbles (MBs) has been recently proposed to visualize microvasculature beyond the ultrasound diffraction limit in three spatial dimensions. However, 3D ULM suffers from several limitations: (1) high system complexity due to numerous channel counts, (2) complex MB flow dynamics in 3D, and (3) extremely long acquisition time. To reduce the system complexity while maintaining high image quality, we used a sub-aperture process to reduce received channel counts. To address the second issue, a 3D bipartite graph-based method with Kalman filtering-based tracking was used in this study for MB tracking. An MB separation approach was incorporated to separate high concentration MB data into multiple, sparser MB datasets, allowing better MB localization and tracking for a limited acquisition time. The proposed method was first validated in a flow channel phantom, showing improved spatial resolutions compared with the contrasted enhanced power Doppler image. Then the proposed method was evaluated with an in vivo chicken embryo brain dataset. Results showed that the reconstructed 3D super-resolution image achieved a spatial resolution of around 52 μm (smaller than the wavelength of around 200 μm). Microvessels that cannot be resolved clearly using localization only, can be well identified with the tailored 3D pairing and tracking algorithms. To sum up, the feasibility of the 3D ULM is shown, indicating the great possibility in clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- U-Wai Lok
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN
| | - Chengwu Huang
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN
| | - Joshua D. Trzasko
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN
| | - Yohan Kim
- Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN
| | - Fabrice Lucien
- Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN
| | - Shanshan Tang
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN
| | - Ping Gong
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN
| | - Pengfei Song
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Shigao Chen
- Corresponding Author: Dr. Shigao Chen, Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905,
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11
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Zhu J, Zhang C, Christensen-Jeffries K, Zhang G, Harput S, Dunsby C, Huang P, Tang MX. Super-Resolution Ultrasound Localization Microscopy of Microvascular Structure and Flow for Distinguishing Metastatic Lymph Nodes - An Initial Human Study. ULTRASCHALL IN DER MEDIZIN (STUTTGART, GERMANY : 1980) 2022; 43:592-598. [PMID: 36206774 DOI: 10.1055/a-1917-0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Detecting and distinguishing metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) from those with benign lymphadenopathy are crucial for cancer diagnosis and prognosis but remain a clinical challenge. A recent advance in super-resolution ultrasound (SRUS) through localizing individual microbubbles has broken the diffraction limit and tracking enabled in vivo noninvasive imaging of vascular morphology and flow dynamics at a microscopic level. In this study we hypothesize that SRUS enables quantitative markers to distinguish metastatic LNs from benign ones in patients with lymphadenopathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Clinical contrast-enhanced ultrasound image sequences of LNs from 6 patients with lymph node metastasis and 4 with benign lymphadenopathy were acquired and motion-corrected. These were then used to generate super-resolution microvascular images and super-resolved velocity maps. From these SRUS images, morphological and functional measures were obtained including micro-vessel density, fractal dimension, mean flow speed, and Local Flow Direction Irregularity (LFDI) measuring the variance in local flow direction. These measures were compared between pathologically proven reactive and metastasis LNs. RESULTS Our initial results indicate that the difference in the indicator of flow irregularity (LFDI) derived from the SRUS images is statistically significant between the two groups. The LFDI is 60% higher in metastatic LNs compared with reactive nodes. CONCLUSION This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of super-resolution ultrasound for clinical imaging of lymph nodes and the potential of using the irregularity of local blood flow directions afforded by SRUS for the characterization of LNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Zhu
- Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Chao Zhang
- Department of Ultrasound, Zhejiang University School of Medicine Second Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Kirsten Christensen-Jeffries
- Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London School of Medical Education, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Ge Zhang
- Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Sevan Harput
- Division of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, London South Bank University, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Christopher Dunsby
- Physics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Pintong Huang
- Department of Ultrasound, Zhejiang University School of Medicine Second Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng-Xing Tang
- Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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12
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Li CH, Chang YC, Hsiao M, Chan MH. Ultrasound and Nanomedicine for Cancer-Targeted Drug Delivery: Screening, Cellular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:1282. [PMID: 35745854 PMCID: PMC9229768 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14061282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a disease characterized by abnormal cell growth. According to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018. It should be noted that ultrasound is already widely used as a diagnostic procedure for detecting tumorigenesis. In addition, ultrasound energy can also be utilized effectively for treating cancer. By filling the interior of lipospheres with gas molecules, these particles can serve both as contrast agents for ultrasonic imaging and as delivery systems for drugs such as microbubbles and nanobubbles. Therefore, this review aims to describe the nanoparticle-assisted drug delivery system and how it can enhance image analysis and biomedicine. The formation characteristics of nanoparticles indicate that they will accumulate at the tumor site upon ultrasonic imaging, in accordance with their modification characteristics. As a result of changing the accumulation of materials, it is possible to examine the results by comparing images of other tumor cell lines. It is also possible to investigate ultrasound images for evidence of cellular effects. In combination with a precision ultrasound imaging system, drug-carrying lipospheres can precisely track tumor tissue and deliver drugs to tumor cells to enhance the ability of this nanocomposite to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Hsiu Li
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan;
| | - Yu-Chan Chang
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
| | - Michael Hsiao
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan;
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hsien Chan
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan;
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Kim J, Lowerison MR, Sekaran NVC, Kou Z, Dong Z, Oelze ML, Llano DA, Song P. Improved Ultrasound Localization Microscopy Based on Microbubble Uncoupling via Transmit Excitation. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS, FERROELECTRICS, AND FREQUENCY CONTROL 2022; 69:1041-1052. [PMID: 35041599 PMCID: PMC8940524 DOI: 10.1109/tuffc.2022.3143864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) demonstrates great potential for visualization of tissue microvasculature at depth with high spatial resolution. The success of ULM heavily depends on robust localization of isolated microbubbles (MBs), which can be challenging in vivo especially within larger vessels where MBs can overlap and cluster close together. While MB dilution alleviates the issue of MB overlap to a certain extent, it drastically increases the data acquisition time needed for MBs to populate the microvasculature, which is already on the order of several minutes using recommended MB concentrations. Inspired by optical super-resolution imaging based on stimulated emission depletion (STED), here we propose a novel ULM imaging sequence based on MB uncoupling via transmit excitation (MUTE). MUTE "silences" MB signals by creating acoustic nulls to facilitate MB separation, which leads to robust localization of MBs especially under high concentrations. The efficiency of localization accomplished via the proposed technique was first evaluated in simulation studies with conventional ULM as a benchmark. Then, an in-vivo study based on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chicken embryos showed that MUTE could reduce the data acquisition time by half, thanks to the enhanced MB separation and localization. Finally, the performance of MUTE was validated in an in vivo mouse brain study. These results demonstrate the high MB localization efficacy of MUTE-ULM, which contributes to a reduced data acquisition time and improved temporal resolution for ULM.
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14
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Chavignon A, Heiles B, Hingot V, Orset C, Vivien D, Couture O. 3D Transcranial Ultrasound Localization Microscopy in the Rat Brain with a Multiplexed Matrix Probe. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2021; 69:2132-2142. [PMID: 34932470 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2021.3137265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) provides images of the microcirculation in-depth in living tissue. However, its implementation in two-dimension is limited by the elevation projection and tedious plane-by-plane acquisition. Volumetric ULM alleviates these issues and can map the vasculature of entire organs in one acquisition with isotropic resolution. However, its optimal implementation requires many independent acquisition channels, leading to complex custom hardware. METHODS In this article, we implemented volumetric ultrasound imaging with a multiplexed 32 x 32 probe driven by a single commercial ultrasound scanner. We propose and compare three different sub-aperture multiplexing combinations for localization microscopy in silico and in vitro with a flow of microbubbles in a canal. Finally, we evaluate the approach for micro-angiography of the rat brain.The "light" combination allows a higher maximal volume rate than the "full" combination while maintaining the field of view and resolution. RESULTS In the rat brain, 100,000 volumes were acquired within 7 min with a dedicated ultrasound sequence and revealed vessels down to 31 m in diameter with flows from 4.3 mm/s to 28.4 mm/s. CONCLUSION This work demonstrates the ability to perform a complete angiography with unprecedented resolution in the living rats brain with a simple and light setup through the intact skull. SIGNIFICANCE We foresee that it might contribute to democratize 3D ULM for both preclinical and clinical studies.
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