Assessment of Spectral Doppler in Preclinical Ultrasound Using a Small-Size Rotating Phantom

Preclinical ultrasound scanners are used to measure blood flow in small animals, but the potential errors in blood velocity measurements have not been quantified. This investigation rectifies this omission through the design and use of phantoms and evaluation of measurement errors for a preclinical ultrasound system (Vevo 770, Visualsonics, Toronto, ON, Canada). A ray model of geometric spectral broadening was used to predict velocity errors. A small-scale rotating phantom, made from tissue-mimicking material, was developed. True and Doppler-measured maximum velocities of the moving targets were compared over a range of angles from 10° to 80°. Results indicate that the maximum velocity was overestimated by up to 158% by spectral Doppler. There was good agreement (<10%) between theoretical velocity errors and measured errors for beam-target angles of 50°–80°. However, for angles of 10°–40°, the agreement was not as good (>50%). The phantom is capable of validating the performance of blood velocity measurement in preclinical ultrasound.     

Validation of Endoscopic Ultrasound Measured Flow Rate in the Azygos Vein Using a Flow Phantom

Increase in flow rate within the azygos vein may be used as an indicator of the degree of liver cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the error in measurement of flow rate using a commercial endoscopic ultrasound system, using a flow phantom that mimicked azygos vein depth, diameter and flow rate. Diameter was underestimated in all cases, with an average underestimation of 0.09 cm. Maximum velocity was overestimated, by 4 ± 4% at 50°, 11 ± 3% at 60° and 23 ± 7% at 70°. The increase in error with beam-vessel angle is consistent with the error as arising from geometric spectral broadening. Flow was underestimated by amounts up to 33%, and it is noted that the overestimation caused by geometric spectral broadening is in part compensated by underestimation of diameter. It was concluded that measurement of flow rate using a commercially available endoscopic ultrasound system is dependent on the beam-vessel angle, with errors up to 33% for typical vessel depths, diameter and beam-vessel angle. (E-mail: P.Hoskins@ed.ac.uk)     

降解海藻酸钠磺化衍生物选择清除血浆LDL/Fib的性能研究

以海藻酸钠为原料,进行氧化降解,再以氯磺酸为磺化试剂,在适当的条件下进行磺化反应,获得降解海藻酸钠磺化衍生物(degraded sodium alginate sulfate,DSAS)。考察不同磺化条件对硫酸基含量的影响,通过正交实验确立较优磺化反应条件。红外光谱分析表明,该衍生物为酸性粘多糖。以降解海藻酸钠磺化衍生物为净化剂,研究其选择清除血浆低密度脂蛋白(LDL)及纤维蛋白原(Fib)的性能。结果表明,在pH=5.15,净化剂浓度2 500mg/L时,可使血浆总胆固醇下降60%左右,低密度脂蛋白和极低密度脂蛋白下降80%左右,纤维蛋白原下降接近100%,而对高密度脂蛋白及血浆总蛋白水平无显著变化。     

Stability of Echogenic Liposomes as a Blood Pool Ultrasound Contrast Agent in a Physiologic Flow Phantom

Echogenic liposomes (ELIP) are multifunctional ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) with a lipid shell encapsulating both air and an aqueous core. ELIP are being developed for molecular imaging and image-guided therapeutic delivery. Stability of the echogenicity of ELIP in physiologic conditions is crucial to their successful translation to clinical use. In this study, we determined the effects of the surrounding media's dissolved air concentration, temperature transition and hydrodynamic pressure on the echogenicity of a chemically modified formulation of ELIP to promote stability and echogenicity. ELIP samples were diluted in porcine plasma or whole blood and pumped through a pulsatile flow system with adjustable hydrodynamic pressures and temperature. B-mode images were acquired using a clinical diagnostic scanner every 5 s for a total duration of 75 s. Echogenicity in porcine plasma was assessed as a function of total dissolved gas saturation. ELIP were added to plasma at room temperature (22 °C) or body temperature (37 °C) and pumped through a system maintained at 22 °C or 37 °C to study the effect of temperature transitions on ELIP echogenicity. Echogenicity at normotensive (120/80 mmHg) and hypertensive pressures (145/90 mmHg) was measured. ELIP were echogenic in plasma and whole blood at body temperature under normotensive to hypertensive pressures. Warming of samples from room temperature to body temperature did not alter echogenicity. However, in plasma cooled rapidly from body temperature to room temperature or in degassed plasma, ELIP lost echogenicity within 20 s at 120/80 mmHg. The stability of echogenicity of a modified ELIP formulation was determined in vitro at body temperature, physiologic gas concentration and throughout the physiologic pressure range. However, proper care should be taken to ensure that ELIP are not cooled rapidly from body temperature to room temperature as they will lose their echogenic properties. Further in vivo investigations will be needed to evaluate the optimal usage of ELIP as blood pool contrast agents.     

A Lung Phantom Model to Study Pulmonary Edema Using Lung Ultrasound Surface Wave Elastography

Lung ultrasound surface wave elastography (LUSWE) is a novel technique used to measure superficial lung tissue stiffness. A phantom study was carried out in the study described here to evaluate the application of LUSWE to assess lung water for pulmonary edema. A lung phantom model with cellulose sponge was used; various volumes of water were injected into the sponge to model lung water. Shaker-generated surface wave propagation on the sponge surface was recorded by a 10-MHz ultrasound probe at three shaker frequencies: 100, 150 and 200Hz. Surface wave speeds were calculated but did not exhibit dependence on the volume of injected water. However, the shear viscosity of the sponge increased with water content, and shear elasticity also exhibited a subtle increase. This study suggests that sponge viscoelasticity might change with the water content, which can be detected by LUSWE.     

An Improved Tissue-Mimicking Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Phantom for Visualizing Thermal Lesions with High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound

A recipe was created to improve the tissue-mimicking (TM) bovine serum albumin (BSA) polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAG) reported in our previous study (Choi MJ, Guntur SR, Lee KI, Paeng DG, Coleman AJ. Ultrasound Med Biol 2013; 29:439–448). In that work, the concentration of acrylamide in TM BSA PAG was increased to make its attenuation coefficient the same as that of a tissue. However, this increase made the PAG stiffer and less homogeneous. In addition, the increase in acrylamide caused a significant increase in temperature over the denaturation threshold of BSA during polymerization, which required forced cooling so that the PAG did not become opaque at room temperature after polymerization. To eliminate those shortcomings, we substituted the increased acrylamide with a viscous polysaccharide liquid (corn syrup). The concentration of corn syrup was optimized to 20% (w/v, tested in the volume of 50 mL), so that the acoustic properties of the PAG would be close to those of human liver. The improved TM (iTM) BSA PAG constructed in this study had a speed of sound of 1588 ± 9 m/s, an attenuation coefficient of 0.51 ± 0.06 dB cm^?1 at 1 MHz and a backscattering coefficient of 0.22 ± 0.09 × 10^?3 sr^?1 cm^?1 MHz^?1. The density and acoustic impedance were 1057 kg/m³ and 1.68 MRayl, respectively, and the non-linear parameter (B/A) was 5.9 ± 0.3. The thermal, optical and mechanical properties were almost the same as those of the BSA PAG (Lafon et al.2005). Experimental verification indicated that the thermal lesions visualized in the proposed iTM BSA PAG by high-intensity focused ultrasound were highly reproducible. In conclusion, iTM BSA PAG was proven to eliminate TM BSA PAG shortcomings effectively and is expected to be a promising test phantom for clinical high-intensity focused ultrasound device.     

新型长效脂质声学造影剂增强兔肝脏VX2肿瘤的实验研究

目的　验证长效造影剂“脂氟显”在新西兰白兔 VX2 肝癌中的造影增强效果。方法　 12只患有 VX2 肝癌的新西兰白兔经耳缘静脉团注脂氟显 0 .0 2 ml/ kg;使用二次谐波显像模式观察记录造影过程 ;用定性视觉评分和定量视频密度分析造影效果。结果　肿瘤视觉增强效果从 10 s开始 ,持续时间长约 4 0～ 6 0 min。视觉评分在造影后 10、 2 0和 4 0 min与造影前比较有显著性差异 ,6 0 min则无明显差异。造影前后总体视觉效果有非常显著差异 (P<0 .0 1)。视频密度分析 ,造影后 10到 6 0 min的 VX2肿瘤灰阶值非常显著地小于正常肝组织 (P<0 .0 1)。结论　脂氟显能持续增强兔肝脏 VX2 肿瘤超声影像长达 4 0～ 6 0 min,优于多种同类声学造影剂。     

Creation of a High‐fidelity,Low‐cost Pediatric Skull Fracture Ultrasound Phantom

Over the past decade, point‐of‐care ultrasound has become a common tool used for both procedures and diagnosis. Developing high‐fidelity phantoms is critical for training in new and novel point‐of‐care ultrasound applications. Detecting skull fractures on ultrasound imaging in the younger‐than‐2‐year‐old patient is an emerging area of point‐of‐care ultrasound research. Identifying a skull fracture on ultrasound imaging in this age group requires knowledge of the appearance and location of sutures to distinguish them from fractures. There are currently no commercially available pediatric skull fracture models. We outline a novel approach to building a cost‐effective, simple, high‐fidelity pediatric skull fracture phantom to meet a unique training requirement.     

Use of a Simple,Inexpensive Dual‐Modality Phantom as a Learning Tool for Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Ultrasound Fusion Techniques

We describe an easily constructed, customizable phantom for magnetic resonance imaging–ultrasound fusion imaging and demonstrate its role as a learning tool to initiate clinical use of this emerging modality. Magnetic resonance imaging–ultrasound fusion can prove unwieldy to integrate into routine practice. We demonstrate real‐time fusion with single‐sequence magnetic resonance imaging uploaded to the ultrasound console. Phantom training sessions allow radiologists and sonographers to practice fiducial marker selection and improve efficiency with the fusion hardware and software interfaces. Such a tool is useful when the modality is first introduced to a practice and in settings of sporadic use, in which intermittent training may be useful.     

Simultaneous Evaluation of Thermal and Non-Thermal Effects of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound on a Tissue-Mimicking Phantom

Physiologically relevant phantoms with high reliability are essential for extending the therapeutic applications of high-intensity therapeutic ultrasound. Here we describe a tissue-mimicking phantom capable of quantifying temperature changes and observing non-thermal phenomena by high-intensity therapeutic ultrasound. Using polydiacetylene liposomes, we fabricated agar-based polydiacetylene hydrogel phantoms (PHPs) that not only respond to temperature, but also have acoustic properties similar to those of human liver tissue. The color of PHPs changed from blue to red depending on the temperature in the range 40°C–70°C, where the red/blue ratio of PHP had a good linearity of 99.06% for the temperature changes. Furthermore, repeated high-intensity focused ultrasound led to histotripsy on the PHP with liquefied and damaged areas measuring 0.7 and 4.0 cm², respectively, at the signal generator amplitude setting voltage of 80 mV. Our results indicate not only the usability of the thermochromic phantom, but also its potential for evaluating non-thermal phenomena in various high-intensity focused ultrasound therapies.     

Emergency Department Ultrasound Credentialing: a sample policy and procedure

Emergency physician use of bedside ultrasound has increased dramatically over the last two decades. However, many emergency departments find it difficult to gain formal hospital credentialing for bedside sonography. We present the Emergency Department (ED) Ultrasound Credentialing Policy from the University of California, San Francisco. Although the American College of Emergency Physicians has published formal guidelines on this subject, they are not written in such a way that they are readily transcribed into a document suitable for review by credentialing committees and executive medical boards. Our policy details the background of emergency bedside ultrasound, the goals of its use, the scope of emergency physician sonography, credentialing criteria, and an example of a quality assurance program. We have not changed the components of the previously published guidelines. Rather, this document has withstood the rigor of our own credentialing process and is presented as an example in the hopes that it may help other EDs who seek credentialing in their institutions. This document is intended as a guideline for credentialing committees and will require alteration to meet the needs of each different hospital; however, the overall framework should allow for a less time-consuming process.     

A Tissue Mimicking Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Phantom for Visualizing Thermal Lesions Generated by High Intensity Focused Ultrasound

An optically transparent tissue-mimicking (TM) phantom whose acoustic properties are close to those of tissue was constructed for visualizing therapeutic effects by high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). The TM phantom was designed to improve a widely used standard bovine serum albumin (BSA) polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAG), which attenuated ultrasound far less than tissue and, unlike tissue, did not scatter ultrasound. A modified recipe has been proposed in the study by adding scattering glass beads with diameters of 40–80 μm (0.002% w/v) and by raising the concentration of acrylamide (30% v/v). The TM BSA-PAG constructed has an acoustic impedance of 1.67 MRayls, a speed of sound of 1576 m/s, an attenuation coefficient of 0.52 dB/cm at 1 MHz, a backscattering coefficient of 0.242 × 10⁻³ 1/sr/cm at 1 MHz and a nonlinear parameter (B/A) of 5.7. These parameters are close to those of liver. The thermal and optical properties are almost the same as the standard BSA-PAG. The characteristic features of the thermal lesions by HIFU were observed to be more accurately visualized in the TM BSA-PAG than in the standard BSA-PAG. In conclusion, the proposed TM BSA-PAG acoustically mimics tissue better than the standard BSA-PAG and is expected to be preferentially used for assuring if a clinical HIFU device produces the thermal lesion as planned.     

Sonographic Evaluation of the Distal Iliopsoas Tendon Using a New Approach

Sonography of the iliopsoas tendon plays an important role in the diagnosis and preoperative and postoperative management for the increasing number of patients under consideration for arthroscopically guided hip interventions such as iliopsoas tenotomy in a variety of conditions, including arthropathy, periarticular calcifications, and cam‐type deformities of the femoral head. The ability to visualize the iliopsoas tendon pre‐operatively can be helpful diagnostically in patients presenting with hip pain and can aid in planning surgery, while evaluating the tendon postoperatively is important in the assessment of causes of postoperative pain and other potential complications. We present a novel technique for visualizing the distal iliopsoas tendon complex in the longitudinal axis at its insertion on the lesser trochanter on sonography.