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Aristizábal O, Qiu Z, Gallego E, Aristizábal M, Mamou J, Wang Y, Ketterling JA, Turnbull DH. Longitudinal in Utero Analysis of Engrailed-1 Knockout Mouse Embryonic Phenotypes Using High-Frequency Ultrasound. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2023; 49:356-367. [PMID: 36283941 PMCID: PMC9712241 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2022.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale international efforts to generate and analyze loss-of-function mutations in each of the approximately 20,000 protein-encoding gene mutations are ongoing using the "knockout" mouse as a model organism. Because one-third of gene knockouts are expected to result in embryonic lethality, it is important to develop non-invasive in utero imaging methods to detect and monitor mutant phenotypes in mouse embryos. We describe the utility of 3-D high-frequency (40-MHz) ultrasound (HFU) for longitudinal in utero imaging of mouse embryos between embryonic days (E) 11.5 and E14.5, which represent critical stages of brain and organ development. Engrailed-1 knockout (En1-ko) mouse embryos and their normal control littermates were imaged with HFU in 3-D, enabling visualization of morphological phenotypes in the developing brains, limbs and heads of the En1-ko embryos. Recently developed deep learning approaches were used to automatically segment the embryonic brain ventricles and bodies from the 3-D HFU images, allowing quantitative volumetric analyses of the En1-ko brain phenotypes. Taken together, these results show great promise for the application of longitudinal 3-D HFU to analyze knockout mouse embryos in utero.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orlando Aristizábal
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ziming Qiu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, New York, New York, USA
| | - Estefania Gallego
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Matias Aristizábal
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jonathan Mamou
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yao Wang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Daniel H Turnbull
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
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Mozaffarzadeh M, Verschuur DJE, Verweij MD, de Jong N, Renaud G. Accelerated 2-D Real-Time Refraction-Corrected Transcranial Ultrasound Imaging. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS, FERROELECTRICS, AND FREQUENCY CONTROL 2022; 69:2599-2610. [PMID: 35797321 DOI: 10.1109/tuffc.2022.3189600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In a recent study, we proposed a technique to correct aberration caused by the skull and reconstruct a transcranial B-mode image with a refraction-corrected synthetic aperture imaging (SAI) scheme. Given a sound speed map, the arrival times were calculated using a fast marching technique (FMT), which solves the Eikonal equation and, therefore, is computationally expensive for real-time imaging. In this article, we introduce a two-point ray tracing method, based on Fermat's principle, for fast calculation of the travel times in the presence of a layered aberrator in front of the ultrasound probe. The ray tracing method along with the reconstruction technique is implemented on a graphical processing unite (GPU). The point spread function (PSF) in a wire phantom image reconstructed with the FMT and the GPU implementation was studied with numerical synthetic data and experiments with a bone-mimicking plate and a sagittally cut human skull. The numerical analysis showed that the error on travel times is less than 10% of the ultrasound temporal period at 2.5 MHz. As a result, the lateral resolution was not significantly degraded compared with images reconstructed with FMT-calculated travel times. The results using the synthetic, bone-mimicking plate, and skull dataset showed that the GPU implementation causes a lateral/axial localization error of 0.10/0.20, 0.15/0.13, and 0.26/0.32 mm compared with a reference measurement (no aberrator in front of the ultrasound probe), respectively. For an imaging depth of 70 mm, the proposed GPU implementation allows reconstructing 19 frames/s with full synthetic aperture (96 transmission events) and 32 frames/s with multiangle plane wave imaging schemes (with 11 steering angles) for a pixel size of [Formula: see text]. Finally, refraction-corrected power Doppler imaging is demonstrated with a string phantom and a bone-mimicking plate placed between the probe and the moving string. The proposed approach achieves a suitable frame rate for clinical scanning while maintaining the image quality.
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Shekhar A, Aristizabal O, Fishman GI, Phoon CKL, Ketterling JA. Characterization of Vortex Flow in a Mouse Model of Ventricular Dyssynchrony by Plane-Wave Ultrasound Using Hexplex Processing. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS, FERROELECTRICS, AND FREQUENCY CONTROL 2021; 68:538-548. [PMID: 32763851 PMCID: PMC8054309 DOI: 10.1109/tuffc.2020.3014844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The rodent heart is frequently used to study human cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although advanced cardiovascular ultrasound imaging methods are available for human clinical practice, application of these techniques to small animals remains limited due to the temporal and spatial-resolution demands. Here, an ultrasound vector-flow workflow is demonstrated that enables visualization and quantification of the complex hemodynamics within the mouse heart. Wild type (WT) and fibroblast growth factor homologous factor 2 (FHF2)-deficient mice (Fhf2 KO/Y ), which present with hyperthermia-induced ECG abnormalities highly reminiscent of Brugada syndrome, were used as a mouse model of human CVD. An 18-MHz linear array was used to acquire high-speed (30 kHz), plane-wave data of the left ventricle (LV) while increasing core body temperature up to 41.5 °C. Hexplex (i.e., six output) processing of the raw data sets produced the output of vector-flow estimates (magnitude and phase); B-mode and color-Doppler images; Doppler spectrograms; and local time histories of vorticity and pericardium motion. Fhf2 WT/Y mice had repeatable beat-to-beat cardiac function, including vortex formation during diastole, at all temperatures. In contrast, Fhf2 KO/Y mice displayed dyssynchronous contractile motion that disrupted normal inflow vortex formation and impaired LV filling as temperature rose. The hexplex processing approach demonstrates the ability to visualize and quantify the interplay between hemodynamic and mechanical function in a mouse model of human CVD.
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Huang H, Chen PY, Huang CC. 40-MHz high-frequency vector Doppler imaging for superficial venous valve flow estimation. Med Phys 2020; 47:4020-4031. [PMID: 32609885 DOI: 10.1002/mp.14362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Doppler ultrasound imaging has been used widely for diagnosing vascular diseases. Recently, vector Doppler imaging (VDI) has been proposed for visualizing the blood flow in all directions to yield more detailed information for estimating flow conditions. Increasing the resolution of VDI is important for the structural mapping of superficial vessels with microstructure. However, VDI that operates under a high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS; >30 MHz) is rare. In this study, a 40-MHz high-frequency VDI (HFVDI) based on ultrafast ultrasound imaging was developed to obtain the vector information of blood flow around the superficial venous valve. METHODS The use of HFUS imaging system causes an overload of data acquisition easily. In order to provide sufficient recording time, the frame rate should be reduced. Because the aliasing problem worsens due to a low frame rate when operating Doppler imaging, phase-unwrapping processing methods based on spatial and temporal continuities were applied. Flow phantom experiments were performed to validate the accuracy. In vivo experiments were performed on the valve of superficial veins of healthy volunteers. RESULTS The experimental results from the phantom study indicated that the error of velocity estimation was <10% in most cases. Dynamic changes of valve movements and flow conditions (including velocity profiles and vector) were observed. Because of the high resolution of HFVDI, the jet and vortex phenomena were observed between the leaflets and in the sinus pocket, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Flow velocities ranging from 2 to 15 mm/s were measured at different locations around the venous valve during the opening and closing phases. All the results indicated that HFVDI has the potential to be a useful tool for vessel duplex scanning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Yu Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chung Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Medical Device Innovation Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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Huang D, Huang Y, Qiu Q, Wang K, Li Z, Yao Y, Liu G, Zhao Q, Chen X. Three-dimensional label-free imaging of mammalian yolk sac vascular remodeling with optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy. PHOTOACOUSTICS 2020; 17:100152. [PMID: 31956484 PMCID: PMC6957815 DOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2019.100152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Vessel development in the yolk sac is important for the embryo development and the malfunction of which can lead to cardiac dysfunction, embryonic malformation and miscarriage. Although substantial emphasis has been placed on the yolk sac vascular remodeling, no detailed three-dimensional (3D) imaging and quantitative analysis of this process has been described. Herein, we explored the development of the vascular system in the visceral yolk sac (VYS) on E11.5, E12.5 and E13.5 mouse embryos using a home-built large field-of-view (FOV) optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM). The results showed that OR-PAM can be used as a label-free imaging tool for studying the 2D/3D morphology changes of the vascular system during organogenesis. In addition, after a quantitative analysis the results showed that the microvascular density in the VYS gradually reduced along with the embryo growth. Vascular density in the VYS of E11.5 mouse embryos was almost 6-fold than that of E13.5. Hovever, the averaged vessel diameter of the entire VYS membrane increased gradually with the development of embryos. This study suggests that OR-PAM is a potential tool for acquiring the hemodynamic parameters of mammalian embryos, which could be further used for studying diseases related with the vascular remodeling such as vascular malformations and heart defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doudou Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Yali Huang
- Medical School, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Qi Qiu
- Medical School, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Kai Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Zhihong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Youliang Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Gang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Qingliang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Xiaoyuan Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
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Yiu BYS, Walczak M, Lewandowski M, Yu ACH. Live Ultrasound Color-Encoded Speckle Imaging Platform for Real-Time Complex Flow Visualization In Vivo. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS, FERROELECTRICS, AND FREQUENCY CONTROL 2019; 66:656-668. [PMID: 30640607 DOI: 10.1109/tuffc.2019.2892731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Complex flow patterns are prevalent in the vasculature, but they are difficult to image noninvasively in real time. This paper presents the first real-time scanning platform for a high-frame-rate ultrasound technique called color-encoded speckle imaging (CESI) and its use in visualizing arterial flow dynamics in vivo. CESI works by simultaneously rendering flow speckles and color-coded flow velocity estimates on a time-resolved basis. Its live implementation was achieved by integrating a 192-channel programmable ultrasound front-end module, a 4.8-GB/s capacity data streaming link, and a series of computing kernels implemented on the graphical processing unit (GPU) for beamforming and Doppler processing. A slow-motion replay mode was also included to offer coherent visualization of CESI frames acquired at high frame rate [3000 frames per second (fps) in our experiments]. The live CESI scanning platform was found to be effective in facilitating real-time image guidance (at least 20 fps for live video display with 55-fps GPU processing throughout). In vivo pilot trials also showed that live CESI, when running in replay mode, can temporally resolve triphasic flow at the brachial bifurcation and can reveal flow dynamics in the brachial vein during a fist-clenching maneuver. Overall, live CESI has potential for use in routine investigations in vivo that seek to identify complex flow dynamics in real time and relate these dynamics to vascular physiology.
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