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Baek J, Qin SS, Prieto PA, Parker KJ. H-Scan Discrimination for Tumor Microenvironmental Heterogeneity in Melanoma. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2024; 50:268-276. [PMID: 37993356 PMCID: PMC10794040 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2023.10.012] [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: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Melanoma is a form of malignant skin cancer that exhibits significant inter-tumoral differences in the tumor microenvironment (TME) secondary to genetic mutations. The heterogeneity may be subtle but can complicate the treatment of metastatic melanoma, contributing to a high mortality rate. Therefore, developing an accurate and non-invasive procedure to discriminate microenvironmental heterogeneity to facilitate therapy selection is an important goal. METHODS In vivo murine melanoma models that recapitulate human disease using synchronous implanted YUMM 1.7 (Yale University Mouse Melanoma) and YUMMER 1.7 (Yale University Mouse Melanoma Exposed to Radiation) murine melanoma lines were investigated. Mice were treated with antibodies to modulate the immune response and longitudinally scanned with ultrasound (US). US radiofrequency data were processed using the H-scan analysis, attenuation estimation and B-mode processing to extract five US features. The measures were used to compare different TMEs (YUMMER vs. YUMM) and responses to immunomodulatory therapies with CD8 depletion or programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibition. RESULTS Multiparametric analysis produced a combined H-scan parameter, resolving significant differences (i) between untreated YUMMER and YUMM and (ii) between untreated, PD-1-treated and CD8-treated YUMMER. However, more importantly, the B-mode and attenuation measures failed to differentiate YUMMER and YUMM and to monitor treatment responses, indicating that H-scan is required to differentiate subtle differences within the TME. CONCLUSION We anticipate that the H-scan analysis could discriminate heterogeneous melanoma metastases and guide diagnosis and treatment selection, potentially reducing the need for invasive biopsies or immunologic procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihye Baek
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Shuyang S Qin
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Peter A Prieto
- Department of Surgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Kevin J Parker
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
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Coppola A, Grasso D, Fontana F, Piacentino F, Minici R, Laganà D, Ierardi AM, Carrafiello G, D’Angelo F, Carcano G, Venturini M. Innovative Experimental Ultrasound and US-Related Techniques Using the Murine Model in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Systematic Review. J Clin Med 2023; 12:7677. [PMID: 38137745 PMCID: PMC10743777 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12247677] [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: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a cancer with one of the highest mortality rates in the world. Several studies have been conductedusing preclinical experiments in mice to find new therapeutic strategies. Experimental ultrasound, in expert hands, is a safe, multifaceted, and relatively not-expensive device that helps researchers in several ways. In this systematic review, we propose a summary of the applications of ultrasonography in a preclinical mouse model of PDAC. Eighty-eight studies met our inclusion criteria. The included studies could be divided into seven main topics: ultrasound in pancreatic cancer diagnosis and progression (n: 21); dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) (n: 5); microbubble ultra-sound-mediated drug delivery; focused ultrasound (n: 23); sonodynamic therapy (SDT) (n: 7); harmonic motion elastography (HME) and shear wave elastography (SWE) (n: 6); ultrasound-guided procedures (n: 9). In six cases, the articles fit into two or more sections. In conclusion, ultrasound can be a really useful, eclectic, and ductile tool in different diagnostic areas, not only regarding diagnosis but also in therapy, pharmacological and interventional treatment, and follow-up. All these multiple possibilities of use certainly represent a good starting point for the effective and wide use of murine ultrasonography in the study and comprehensive evaluation of pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Coppola
- Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Unit, Circolo Hospital, ASST Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.V.)
- Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Dario Grasso
- Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Unit, Circolo Hospital, ASST Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.V.)
- Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Federico Fontana
- Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Unit, Circolo Hospital, ASST Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.V.)
- Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Filippo Piacentino
- Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Unit, Circolo Hospital, ASST Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.V.)
- Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Roberto Minici
- Radiology Unit, Dulbecco University Hospital, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (R.M.)
| | - Domenico Laganà
- Radiology Unit, Dulbecco University Hospital, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (R.M.)
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Ierardi
- Radiology Unit, IRCCS Ca Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Fabio D’Angelo
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy;
- Orthopedic Surgery Unit, ASST Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Giulio Carcano
- Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy
- Emergency and Transplant Surgery Department, ASST Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Massimo Venturini
- Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Unit, Circolo Hospital, ASST Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.V.)
- Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy
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Kakkar M, Patil JM, Trivedi V, Yadav A, Saha RK, Rao S, Vazhayil V, Pandya HJ, Mahadevan A, Shekhar H, Mercado-Shekhar KP. Hermite-scan imaging for differentiating glioblastoma from normal brain: Simulations and ex vivo studies for applications in intra-operative tumor identificationa). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:3833-3841. [PMID: 38109407 DOI: 10.1121/10.0023952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Hermite-scan (H-scan) imaging is a tissue characterization technique based on the analysis of raw ultrasound radio frequency (RF) echoes. It matches the RF echoes to Gaussian-weighted Hermite polynomials of various orders to extract information related to scatterer diameter. It provides a color map of large and small scatterers in the red and blue H-scan image channels, respectively. H-scan has been previously reported for characterizing breast, pancreatic, and thyroid tumors. The present work evaluated H-scan imaging to differentiate glioblastoma tumors from normal brain tissue ex vivo. First, we conducted 2-D numerical simulations using the k-wave toolbox to assess the performance of parameters derived from H-scan images of acoustic scatterers (15-150 μm diameters) and concentrations (0.2%-1% w/v). We found that the parameter intensity-weighted percentage of red (IWPR) was sensitive to changes in scatterer diameters independent of concentration. Next, we assessed the feasibility of using the IWPR parameter for differentiating glioblastoma and normal brain tissues (n = 11 samples per group). The IWPR parameter estimates for normal tissue (44.1% ± 1.4%) were significantly different (p < 0.0001) from those for glioblastoma (36.2% ± 0.65%). These findings advance the development of H-scan imaging for potential use in differentiating glioblastoma tumors from normal brain tissue during resection surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manik Kakkar
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Jagruti M Patil
- Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Vishwas Trivedi
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Anushka Yadav
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Ratan K Saha
- Department of Applied Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh 211015, India
| | - Shilpa Rao
- Department of Neuropathology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka 560029, India
| | - Vikas Vazhayil
- Department of Neurosurgery, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka 560029, India
| | - Hardik J Pandya
- Department of Electronic Systems Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Anita Mahadevan
- Department of Neuropathology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka 560029, India
| | - Himanshu Shekhar
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Karla P Mercado-Shekhar
- Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
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Tai H, Margolis R, Li J, Hoyt K. H-Scan Ultrasound Monitoring of Breast Cancer Response to Chemotherapy and Validation With Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging. JOURNAL OF ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE 2023; 42:1297-1306. [PMID: 36468546 DOI: 10.1002/jum.16143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES H-scan ultrasound (US) imaging is a novel tissue characterization technique to detect apoptosis-induced changes in cancer cells after the initiation of effective drug treatment. The objective of the proposed research was to assess the sensitivity of 3-dimensional (3D) H-scan US technique for monitoring the response of breast cancer-bearing animals to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and correlate results to diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) measurements of programmed cancer cell death. METHODS Experimental studies used female mice (N = 18) implanted with human breast cancer cells. Animals underwent H-scan US and DW-MRI imaging on days 0, 1, 3, 7, and 10. After imaging at day 0, breast tumor-bearing nude mice were treated biweekly with an apoptosis-inducing drug. Texture analysis of H-scan US images explored spatial relationships between local US scattering. At day 10, H-scan measurements were compared with DW-MRI-derived apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and histological findings. RESULTS H-scan US imaging of low and high dose cisplatin-treated cancer-bearing animals revealed changes in image intensity suggesting a progressive decrease in aggregate US scatterer size that was not observed in control animals. Longitudinal trends discovered in H-scan US result matched with texture analysis and DW-MRI (P < .01). Further, analysis of the H-scan US image intensity and corresponding DW-MRI-derived ADC values revealed a strong linear correlation (R2 = .93, P < .001). These changes were due to cancer cell apoptotic activity and consider as early detectable biomarker during treatment. CONCLUSIONS The 3D H-scan technique holds promise for assisting clinicians in monitoring the early response of breast cancer tumor to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adding value to traditional diagnostic ultrasound examinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haowei Tai
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | - Ryan Margolis
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | - Junjie Li
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | - Kenneth Hoyt
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
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Khairalseed M, Hoyt K. High-Resolution Ultrasound Characterization of Local Scattering in Cancer Tissue. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2023; 49:951-960. [PMID: 36681609 PMCID: PMC9974749 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2022.11.017] [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: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ultrasound (US) has afforded an approach to tissue characterization for more than a decade. The challenge is to reveal hidden patterns in the US data that describe tissue function and pathology that cannot be seen in conventional US images. Our group has developed a high-resolution analysis technique for tissue characterization termed H-scan US, an imaging method used to interpret the relative size of acoustic scatterers. In the present study, the objective was to compare local H-scan US image intensity with registered histologic measurements made directly at the cellular level. Human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB 231, American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA) were orthotopically implanted into female mice (N = 5). Tumors were allowed to grow for approximately 4 wk before the study started. In vivo imaging of tumor tissue was performed using a US system (Vantage 256, Verasonics Inc., Kirkland, WA, USA) equipped with a broadband capacitive micromachined ultrasonic linear array transducer (Kolo Medical, San Jose, CA, USA). A 15-MHz center frequency was used for plane wave imaging with five angles for spatial compounding. H-scan US image reconstruction involved use of parallel convolution filters to measure the relative strength of backscattered US signals. Color codes were applied to filter outputs to form the final H-scan US image display. For histologic processing, US imaging cross-sections were carefully marked on the tumor surface, and tumors were excised and sliced along the same plane. By use of optical microscopy, whole tumor tissue sections were scanned and digitized after nuclear staining. US images were interpolated to have the same number of pixels as the histology images and then spatially aligned. Each nucleus from the histologic sections was automatically segmented using custom MATLAB software (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA, USA). Nuclear size and spacing from the histology images were then compared with local H-scan US image features. Overall, local H-scan US image intensity exhibited a significant correlation with both cancer cell nuclear size (R2 > 0.27, p < 0.001) and the inverse relationship with nuclear spacing (R2 > 0.17, p < 0.001).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mawia Khairalseed
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | - Kenneth Hoyt
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA.
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Khairalseed M, Hoyt K. Generalized mathematical framework for contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging with pulse inversion spectral deconvolution. ULTRASONICS 2023; 129:106913. [PMID: 36528905 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2022.106913] [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: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A generalized mathematical framework for performing contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging is introduced. Termed pulse inversion spectral deconvolution (PISD), this CEUS approach is founded on Gaussian derivative functions (GDFs). PISD pulses are used to form two inverted pulse sequences, which are then used to filter backscattered ultrasound (US) data for isolation of the nonlinear (NL) microbubble (MB) signal component. An US scanner equipped with a linear array transducer was used for data acquisition. With a vascular flow phantom perfused with MBs, data was collected using PISD and NL-based CEUS imaging. The role of wide-beam transmit aperture size (32 or 64 elements) was also evaluated using an US pulse frequency of 6.25 MHz. Image enhancement was quantified by a contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Preliminary in vivo data was collected in the hindlimb and kidney of healthy rats. Overall, in vitro wide-beam CEUS imaging using an aperture size of 64 elements yielded improved CNR values. Specifically, PISD-based CEUS imaging produced CNR values of 37.3 dB. For comparison, CNR values obtained using B-mode US or NL approaches were 2.1 and 12.1 dB, respectively. In vivo results demonstrated that PISD-based CEUS imaging improved vascular visualization compared to the NL imaging strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mawia Khairalseed
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Kenneth Hoyt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
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Tai H, Basavarajappa L, Hoyt K. 3-D H-scan ultrasound imaging of relative scatterer size using a matrix array transducer and sparse random aperture compounding. Comput Biol Med 2022; 151:106316. [PMID: 36442278 PMCID: PMC9749370 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.106316] [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: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
H-scan ultrasound (US) is a high-resolution imaging technique for soft tissue characterization. By acquiring data in volume space, H-scan US can provide insight into subtle tissue changes or heterogenous patterns that might be missed using traditional cross-sectional US imaging approaches. In this study, we introduce a 3-dimensional (3-D) H-scan US imaging technology for voxel-level tissue characterization in simulation and experimentation. Using a matrix array transducer, H-scan US imaging was developed to evaluate the relative size of US scattering aggregates in volume space. Experimental data was acquired using a programmable US system (Vantage 256, Verasonics Inc, Kirkland, WA) equipped with a 1024-element (32 × 32) matrix array transducer (Vermon Inc, Tours, France). Imaging was performed using the full array in transmission. Radiofrequency (RF) data sequences were collected using a sparse random aperture compounding technique with 6 different data compounding approaches. Plane wave imaging at five angles was performed at a center frequency of 8 MHz. Scan conversion and attenuation correction were applied. To generate the 3-D H-scan US images, a convolution filter bank (N = 256) was then used to process the RF data sequences and measure the spectral content of the backscattered US signals before volume reconstruction. Preliminary experimental studies were conducted using homogeneous phantom materials embedded with spherical US scatterers of varying diameter, i.e., 27 to 45, 63 to 75, or 106-126 μm. Both simulated and experimental results revealed that 3-D H-scan US images have a low spatial variance when tested with homogeneous phantom materials. Furthermore, H-scan US is considerably more sensitive than traditional B-mode US imaging for differentiating US scatterers of varying size (p = 0.001 and p = 0.93, respectively). Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of 3-D H-scan US imaging using a matrix array transducer for tissue characterization in volume space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haowei Tai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Lokesh Basavarajappa
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Kenneth Hoyt
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
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Basavarajappa L, Hoyt K. Photoacoustic graphic equalization and application in characterization of red blood cell aggregates. PHOTOACOUSTICS 2022; 26:100365. [PMID: 35592591 PMCID: PMC9111976 DOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2022.100365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
A photoacoustic (PA) graphic equalization (PAGE) algorithm was developed to characterize the relative size of optical absorbing aggregates. This technique divides the PA signal into frequency bands related to different-sized optical absorbers. Simulations of a material containing optical absorbing microparticles of varying size were used to assess PAGE performance. Experiments were performed on phantom materials containing microspheres of varying size and concentration. Additional experiments were performed using tubes with fresh clotting blood. PA data was obtained using a Vevo LAZR-X system (FUJIFILM VisualSonics Inc). PAGE imaging of phantoms with varying-sized optical absorbers found a 1.5-fold difference in mean image intensity (p < 0.001). Conversely, PA images from these same materials exhibited no intensity changes (p = 0.68). PAGE imaging results from clotting blood exhibited differences for clot sizes in the range 0.30-0.64 mm (p < 0.001). In summary, PAGE imaging can distinguish optical absorbing aggregates of varying size.
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