Contrast vs non-contrast enhanced microvascular imaging using acoustic sub-aperture processing (ASAP): in vivo demonstration
File(s)contrastVSNonContrast_v2.pdf (378.61 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Angiogenesis plays a vital role in the progression of cancer. Non-invasive imaging techniques capable of assessing the microenvironment are therefore of clinical interest. Although highly sensitive vascular mapping has been demonstrated using ultrafast Power Doppler (PD), the detectability of microvasculature from the background noise may be hindered by the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in deeper region and without the use of contrast agents. We recently developed acoustic sub-aperture processing (ASAP) processing for super-contrast vasculature imaging. This technique relies on the spatial coherence of the backscattered echoes over different acquisitions to substantially reduce the noise floor compared to the power Doppler (PD) technique. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of applying ASAP processing for non-contrast enhanced microvascular imaging in preclinical condition, and compare it with contrast enhanced ASAP as well as ultrafast PD. Comparing to PD, ASAP exhibit SNR improvement up to 12 dB. Higher SNR and extra visibility of smaller vessel are also demonstrated in contrast enhanced images in comparison to the non-contrast images. In conclusion, we have demonstrated the feasibility of using ASAP in vivo for non-contrast microvascular imaging, and the added benefit of using contrast agents in microvascular imaging.
Date Issued
2019-02-25
Date Acceptance
2018-10-22
Citation
IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS, 2019
ISSN
1948-5719
Publisher
IEEE
Journal / Book Title
IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS
Copyright Statement
© 2018 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.
Sponsor
Cancer Research UK
Grant Number
22353
Source
IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS. 2018
Publication Status
Published
Start Date
2018-10-22
Finish Date
2018-10-25
Coverage Spatial
Kobe, Japan
Date Publish Online
2019-02-25