Novel Nonlinear Ultrasound Methods in Thermometry and Imaging

测温和成像中的新型非线性超声方法

• 批准号: RGPIN-2022-03799
• 负责人: Tavakkoli, Jahangir(Jahan)
• 金额: $ 2.48万
• 依托单位: Ryerson University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=762593
• 关键词: Novel; Nonlinear; Ultrasound; Methods; Thermometry

The importance of therapeutic ultrasound in medicine and biology and the span of its pre-clinical and clinical applications have been extensively expanded during past couple of decades. Therapeutic ultrasound modalities based on their mechanisms of interaction with tissue are divided into two main categories: (a) methods based on thermal effects which include physical therapy, hyperthermia, and intensive focused ultrasound that itself is divided into two main modalities: high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU), and (b) methods based on non-thermal effects which include lithotripsy, histotripsy, low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), and kHz-frequency power ultrasound. The success of therapeutic ultrasound as a non-invasive clinical modality greatly depends on reliable and real-time imaging methods to monitor and control the therapy operation. For those therapeutic ultrasound modalities that rely on thermal effects, besides a reliable imaging method another challenging limitation is lack of a reliable, non-invasive and affordable thermometry method to monitor tissue temperature changes during thermal treatments. The current research proposal leverages my extensive background and expertise in the areas of nonlinear ultrasound and therapeutic ultrasound to define a research program toward addressing the above-mentioned limitations and also opening the path toward novel image-guided thermal therapy applications. Two objectives will be pursued in the proposed research: Objective 1 - To develop novel nonlinear ultrasound-based thermometry methods to monitor and control thermal therapies using either therapeutic ultrasound or interstitial laser heating modalities. The developed methods will be tested in various ex vivo tissue models toward real-time implementation using clinical ultrasound scanners for ultimate in vivo animal studies and human clinical thermal therapy applications. Objective 2 - To develop novel nonlinear ultrasound-based imaging methods to address the current limitations of ultrasound B-mode imaging in terms of improvements in SNR, contrast, and spatial and temporal resolutions. The algorithms developed under the Objective 1 will be adopted and modified to this end. The developed imaging methods can be used as the imaging modality for monitoring and controlling therapeutic procedures in various image-guided therapeutic ultrasound or interstitial laser heating treatments. The proposed research program will provide excellent HQP training opportunities through several research projects defined toward investigating the basic science and developing novel therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Moreover, the trainees will have the opportunity to directly interact with medical devices industry through an extensive industry collaboration program that is currently ongoing in my research lab, within an interdisciplinary, inclusive and equitable environment.

在过去的几十年里，超声治疗在医学和生物学中的重要性及其临床前和临床应用的范围得到了广泛的扩展。根据与组织相互作用的机制，超声治疗方式分为两大类： (a) 基于热效应的方法，包括物理治疗、热疗和强化聚焦超声，其本身又分为两种主要方式： 高强度聚焦超声(HIFU) 和低强度聚焦超声 (LIFU)，以及 (b) 基于非热效应的方法，包括碎石术、组织解剖学、低强度脉冲超声 (LIPUS) 和 kHz 频率功率超声。超声治疗作为一种非侵入性临床方式的成功很大程度上取决于可靠且实时的成像方法来监测和控制治疗操作。对于那些依赖热效应的超声治疗方式，除了可靠的成像方法之外，另一个具有挑战性的限制是缺乏可靠、非侵入性且经济实惠的测温方法来监测热治疗期间的组织温度变化。当前的研究计划利用我在非线性超声和治疗超声领域的广泛背景和专业知识来定义一个研究计划，以解决上述局限性，并为新型图像引导热疗应用开辟道路。拟议研究将实现两个目标： 目标 1 - 开发新型基于非线性超声的测温方法，以使用治疗超声或间质激光加热方式监测和控制热治疗。所开发的方法将在各种离体组织模型中进行测试，以使用临床超声扫描仪实时实施，以实现最终的体内动物研究和人类临床热疗应用。目标 2 - 开发新型非线性超声成像方法，以解决当前超声 B 型成像在 SNR、对比度以及空间和时间分辨率方面的局限性。为此，将采用并修改根据目标 1 开发的算法。所开发的成像方法可用作各种图像引导治疗超声或间质激光加热治疗中监测和控制治疗过程的成像方式。拟议的研究计划将通过几个旨在研究基础科学和开发新型治疗和诊断应用的研究项目，提供极好的 HQP 培训机会。此外，学员将有机会通过目前在我的研究实验室正在进行的广泛的行业合作项目，在跨学科、包容和公平的环境中与医疗器械行业直接互动。