• 3D bimodal photoacoustic ultrasound imag

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 22:30:50
    3D bimodal photoacoustic ultrasound imaging to diagnose peripheral
    vascular diseases

    Date:
    April 27, 2022
    Source:
    Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)
    Summary:
    A research team has developed a bimodal photoacoustic/ ultrasound
    imaging technology for the human foot.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    Our body is like a sophisticated network with a myriad of peripheral
    blood vessels connected from the heart to the extremities. If blood
    fails to pass through these peripheral blood vessels, a wound may not
    heal or even lead to necrosis. Peripheral vascular diseases require
    particular attention as it mostly appears in the foot, crucial to a
    person's well-being and livelihood.

    Recently, a Korean research team has developed a 3D foot imaging technique
    that vividly captures peripheral blood vessels, even thinner than 1 mm.


    ==========================================================================
    A POSTECH research team led by Professor Chulhong Kim (Belonging to the Departments of Convergence IT Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering) has developed an imaging technique that combines
    the photoacoustic and ultrasound images. The findings from the study
    were recently published in the international journal Radiology.

    Conventionally, the ankle-brachial index test was used to measure the
    blood pressure of the wrist, ankle, or toe to calculate the ratio to
    diagnose peripheral vascular diseases. As for imaging modalities, the
    Doppler ultrasonography, which measures the blood flow, angiography
    using computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
    were widely used.

    Although these methods can detect abnormalities in major arteries, they
    have limitations in clearly capturing the thin and numerous peripheral
    blood vessels. They can also cause pain or side effects because a contrast agent must be injected into the patient.

    To overcome these issues, the researchers combined photoacoustic and
    ultrasound images to and visualize 3D images of blood vessels thinner
    than 1 mm without a contrast agent by. Using the photoacoustic effect --
    in which sound waves are formed following light absorption in a material
    -- blood vessels in the body can be imaged using the light absorption
    of the blood without a contrast agent.

    Adding the ultrasound image to this can visualize the structural
    image of blood vessels with the image of the skin and bone structures simultaneously.

    The new modality can provide the information to aid in diagnosing and
    treating peripheral vascular diseases since it provides functional
    diagnostic values for the blood supply to tissues, such as total
    hemoglobin concentration or blood oxygen saturation, using a wavelength-convertible laser. In order to improve the reliability and reproducibility of the image results, the researchers also developed a
    contour scan technology where the imaging probe detects various curves
    of the foot and moves it along the contour.

    To present its applicability as a diagnostic technology, the researchers conducted an experiment on the feet of healthy participants. By
    acquiring photoacoustic and ultrasound images of the entire foot in
    vivo, it was verified that the blood vessels, skin, and bone structures
    of the foot could be clearly displayed simultaneously. In addition,
    the researchers used a pressure cuff on the healthy participants to artificially occlude the peripheral blood flow and observed significant
    changes in the hemoglobin concentration and vessel density before and
    after occlusion. Based on the results of this study, the researchers
    have confirmed the new imaging technology's applicability for diagnosing peripheral vascular diseases in the future.

    This study was conducted with the support from the Ministry of Science and
    ICT, Ministry of Education, and the National Research Foundation of Korea.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Pohang_University_of_Science_&_Technology_(POSTECH).

    Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Wonseok Choi, Eun-Yeong Park, Seungwan Jeon, Yeoree Yang,
    Byullee Park,
    Joongho Ahn, Seonghee Cho, Changyeop Lee, Dong-Kyo Seo, Jae-Hyoung
    Cho, Chulhong Kim. Three-dimensional Multistructural Quantitative
    Photoacoustic and US Imaging of Human Feet in Vivo. Radiology,
    2022; 303 (2): 467 DOI: 10.1148/radiol.211029 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220427100511.htm

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