Ultrasound Mediated Polymerization for Cell Delivery, Drug Delivery, and 3D Printing.

Safe and accurate in situ delivery of biocompatible materials is a fundamental requirement for many biomedical applications. These include sustained and local drug release, implantation of acellular biocompatible scaffolds, and transplantation of cells and engineered tissues for functional restoration of damaged tissues and organs. The common practice today includes highly invasive operations with major risks of surgical complications including adjacent tissue damage, infections, and long healing periods.

Image Translation of Breast Ultrasound to Pseudo Anatomical Display by CycleGAN.

Ultrasound imaging is cost effective, radiation-free, portable, and implemented routinely in clinical procedures. Nonetheless, image quality is characterized by a granulated appearance, a poor SNR, and speckle noise. Specific for breast tumors, the margins are commonly blurred and indistinct.

Ultrasonic Thermal Monitoring of the Brain Using Golay-Coded Excitations-Feasibility Study.

Thermal monitoring during focused ultrasound (FUS) transcranial procedures is mandatory and commonly performed by MRI. Transcranial ultrasonic thermal monitoring is an attractive alternative. Furthermore, using the therapeutic FUS transducer itself for this task is highly desirable.

Laser-induced thermal response and controlled release of copper oxide nanoparticles from multifunctional polymeric nanocarriers.

Multifunctional nanocarriers have attracted considerable interest in improving cancer treatment outcomes. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanospheres encapsulating copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) are characterized by antitumor activity and exhibit dual-modal contrast-enhancing capabilities. An in vitro evaluation demonstrates that this delivery system allows controlled and sustained release of CuO-NPs.

Ultrasound-induced and MRI-monitored CuO nanoparticles release from micelle encapsulation.

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) have anticancer and antimicrobial activities. Moreover, they have a contrast enhancing effect in both MRI and ultrasound. Nonetheless, encapsulation is needed to control their toxic side effects and a mechanism for release on demand is required.

In vivo noninvasive three-dimensional (3D) assessment of microwave thermal ablation zone using non-contrast-enhanced x-ray CT.

Purpose: To develop an image processing methodology for noninvasive three-dimensional (3D) quantification of microwave thermal ablation zones in vivo using x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging without injection of a contrast enhancing material.

Methods: Six microwave (MW) thermal ablation procedures were performed in three pigs. The ablations were performed with a constant heating duration of 8 min and power level of 30 W.

Speed of Sound and Attenuation Temperature Dependence of Bovine Brain: Ex Vivo Study.

Objectives: Brain treatments using focused ultrasound (FUS) offer a new range of noninvasive transcranial therapies. The acoustic energy deposition during these procedures may induce a temperature elevation in the tissue; therefore, noninvasive thermal monitoring is essential. Magnetic resonance imaging is the current adopted monitoring modality, but its high operational costs and limited availability may hinder the accessibility to FUS treatments.

Copper oxide nanoparticles inhibit pancreatic tumor growth primarily by targeting tumor initiating cells.

Cancer stem cells, also termed tumor initiating cells (TICs), are a rare population of cells within the tumor mass which initiate tumor growth and metastasis. In pancreatic cancer, TICs significantly contribute to tumor re-growth after therapy, due to their intrinsic resistance. Here we demonstrate that copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) are cytotoxic against TIC-enriched PANC1 human pancreatic cancer cell cultures.

CORE-PI: Non-iterative convolution-based reconstruction for parallel MRI in the wavelet domain.

Purpose: To develop and test a novel parameter-free non-iterative wavelet domain method for reconstruction of undersampled multicoil MR data.

Theory And Methods: A linear parallel MRI method that operates in the Stationary Wavelet Transform (SWT) domain is proposed. The method is coined COnvolution-based REconstruction for Parallel MRI (CORE-PI).

Copper oxide loaded PLGA nanospheres: towards a multifunctional nanoscale platform for ultrasound-based imaging and therapy.

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) are increasingly becoming the subject of investigation exploring their potential use for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Recent work has demonstrated their anticancer potential, as well as contrast agent capabilities for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and through-transmission ultrasound. However, no capability of CuO-NPs has been demonstrated using conventional ultrasound systems, which, unlike the former, are widely deployed in the clinic.

Assessment of Coded Excitation Implementation for Estimating Heat-Induced Speed of Sound Changes.

Speed of sound (SoS) is an acoustic property that is highly sensitive to changes in tissues. SoS can be mapped non-invasively using ultrasonic through transmission wave tomography. This however, practically limits its clinical use to the breast.

Target visualisation and microwave hyperthermia monitoring using nanoparticle-enhanced transmission ultrasound (NETUS).

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of using nanoparticle-enhanced transmission ultrasound (NETUS) as an image-based monitoring modality for microwave hyperthermia treatment.

Methods: A dedicated transmission ultrasound imaging system was used to obtain acoustic projections and ultrasound computed tomography images. Initially, speed-of-sound based images were used to non-invasively monitor temperature changes in in vitro and ex vivo specimens, induced by a microwave needle-type applicator.

Optical flow and image segmentation analysis for noninvasive precise mapping of microwave thermal ablation in X-ray CT scans - ex vivo study.

Purpose: To develop image processing algorithms for noninvasive mapping of microwave thermal ablation using X-ray CT.

Methods: Ten specimens of bovine liver were subjected to microwave ablation (20-80 W, 8 min) while scanned by X-ray CT at 5 s intervals. Specimens were cut and manually traced by two observers.

Ultrasonic computed tomography imaging of iron oxide nanoparticles.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are becoming increasingly used and intensively investigated in the field of medical imaging. They are currently FDA approved for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and it would be highly desirable to visualize them by ultrasound as well. Previous reports using the conventional ultrasound B-scan (pulse-echo) imaging technique have shown very limited detectability of these particles.

Noninvasive microwave ablation zone radii estimation using x-ray CT image analysis.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to noninvasively and automatically estimate both the radius of the ablated liver tissue and the radius encircling the treated zone, which also defines where the tissue is definitely untreated during a microwave (MW) thermal ablation procedure.

Methods: Fourteen ex vivo bovine fresh liver specimens were ablated at 40 W using a 14 G microwave antenna, for durations of 3, 6, 8, and 10 min. The tissues were scanned every 5 s during the ablation using an x-ray CT scanner.

Non-invasive Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity Using High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound and Through-Transmission Ultrasonic Imaging.

Thermal diffusivity at the site ablated by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) plays an important role in the final therapeutic outcome, as it influences the temperature's spatial and temporal distribution. Moreover, as tissue thermal diffusivity is different in tumors as compared with normal tissue, it could also potentially be used as a new source of imaging contrast. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of combining through-transmission ultrasonic imaging and HIFU to estimate thermal diffusivity non-invasively.

Copper oxide nanoparticles as contrast agents for MRI and ultrasound dual-modality imaging.

Multimodal medical imaging is gaining increased popularity in the clinic. This stems from the fact that data acquired from different physical phenomena may provide complementary information resulting in a more comprehensive picture of the pathological state. In this context, nano-sized contrast agents may augment the potential sensitivity of each imaging modality and allow targeted visualization of physiological points of interest (e.

Planar strain analysis of liver undergoing microwave thermal ablation using x-ray CT.

Purpose: To study the planar strain effects in liver during microwave (MW) thermal ablation as a means for tracking tissue expansion and contraction as a method for improving ablation monitoring.

Methods: 1.4 mm circular metallic markers were inserted into 16 ex-vivo bovine fresh liver specimens, that were subsequently ablated (with the markers inside the specimen) by 40 W of microwave energy, for 1, 2, 3, 6, and 10 min.

Age-related ultrasonic properties of breast tissue in vivo.

The aim of the current work was to quantify the ultrasonic properties of the whole breast in vivo as a function of age. Forty-four women were scanned using a computerized ultrasonic scanner developed in our laboratory. Raster scans in two orthogonal views, mediolateral and craniocaudal, were obtained using the ultrasonic through-transmission method.

Non-invasive temperature monitoring and hyperthermic injury onset detection using X-ray CT during HIFU thermal treatment in ex vivo fatty tissue.

Purpose: This paper examines X-ray CT, to serve as an image-guiding thermal monitoring modality for high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment of fatty tissues.

Materials And Methods: Six ex vivo porcine fat tissue specimens were scanned by X-ray CT simultaneously with the application of HIFU. Images were acquired during both heating and post-ablation stages.

Temperature-density hysteresis in X-ray CT during HIFU thermal ablation: heating and cooling phantom study.

Purpose: This paper investigated the effects of thermal ablation treatment on imaged X-ray computed tomography (CT) Hounsfield units (HU), for the purpose of monitoring tissue denaturation and coagulation.

Materials And Methods: Eight phantoms of water, oil, and chicken serum albumin as well as 15 ex vivo tissue samples were heated by applying high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for 10 to 29 min to obtain denaturation temperatures, (i.e.

Noninvasive lipoma size reduction using high-intensity focused ultrasound.

Background: Lipomas are common benign mesenchymal tumors commonly removed using excision, but in certain cases, surgery is undesirable or ineffective. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) offers a noninvasive tumor ablation tool increasingly used in the clinic.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a noninvasive lipoma size reduction technology using HIFU.

Feasibility study of contrast-enhanced automated acoustic mammography.

The feasibility of implementing image subtraction in through-transmission breast sonography was examined. Acoustic mammograms of women with suspicious findings were obtained using through-transmission imaging. Precontrast images were initially acquired.

Safety and tolerability of a focused ultrasound device for treatment of adipose tissue in subjects undergoing abdominoplasty: a placebo-control pilot study.

Background: High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) lipolysis is a noninvasive alternative to existing surgical body-sculpting methods.

Objective: To evaluate the safety, tolerability, and histologic outcome of HIFU lipolysis using a novel device in human subjects.

Methods And Materials: In a single-blind pilot study, six healthy subjects scheduled to undergo abdominoplasty within 4 weeks received HIFU lipolysis on one side of the umbilicus.