Quantitative Mechanical Imaging for Improving Breast Ultrasound Diagnosis

定量机械成像改善乳腺超声诊断

• 批准号: 8269053
• 负责人: TIMOTHY J HALL
• 金额: $ 56.8万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-07-01 至 2014-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8269053
• 关键词: Algorithms; Benign; Biomechanics; Boston; Breast; Breast Cancer Detection; Breast Cancer Early Detection; Breast Diseases; Calibration; Clinical; Clinical Data; Clinical Trials; Collaborations; Collection; Computer software; Data; Detection; Development; Devices; Diagnosis; Diagnostic; Differential Diagnosis; Disease; Ear; Early Diagnosis; Early treatment; Elasticity; Environment; Evaluation; Friends; Generations; Goals; Health; Histocompatibility Testing; Image; In Vitro; Laboratories; Malignant - descriptor; Mammary Gland Parenchyma; Measurement; Measures; Mechanics; Medical; Methods; Multi-Institutional Clinical Trial; Noninfiltrating Intraductal Carcinoma; Outcome; Performance; Property; Relative (related person); Research; Safety; Skin; Solutions; Specificity; Stress; Sum; Surface; System; Tactile; Technology; Testing; Time; Tissue Sample; Tissues; Transducers; Ultrasonic Transducer; Ultrasonography; Universities; Work; base; data acquisition; design; diagnostic accuracy; feeding; improved; in vivo; meetings; next generation; outcome forecast; pressure; prototype; reconstruction; research clinical testing; research study; sensor; simulation; two-dimensional

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a proposal to develop new ultrasound technology to image and quantify the nonlinear elastic properties of in vivo breast tissues with the intent of significantly improving the specificity of breast ultrasound. The proposed research will incorporate a pressure sensor array into a two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound transducer array. The combined device will be used to measure the contact pressure during ultrasound elasticity imaging of the breast. Measurements of the total applied pressure distributions and corresponding 3D strain fields in the breast will feed into three principle imaging advances. First, it allows calibrations of relative mechanical strain images for comparing image contrast at known applied stress levels. Second, it provides calibration information to allow quantitative reconstruction in 3D of (linear) shear elastic modulus. Third, measuring the applied stress from the instant of contact allows an unbiased evaluation of elastic nonlinearity. Any of these three goals represents a significant improvement over current technology, and would likely improve differential diagnosis of breast masses. Preliminary data demonstrate the potential gain from such a device. First, significant improvement in strain image quality is available when 3D tracking, enabled by a 2D array, is employed. Second, the elastic nonlinearity of various tissue types appears to be unique, and of potential significance for differentiating stiff malignant masses from stiff benign masses. Recent results suggest that it is possible to image the elastic nonlinearity parameter of breast tissues. Third, measurements of ex vivo breast tissue samples found that ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has the highest elastic nonlinearity of all tissues considered. Thus, although this proposal is targeted toward increasing breast ultrasound specificity, the proposed technology opens the intriguing possibility of directly imaging the 3D distribution of DCIS in the breast, which would have a profound impact on breast cancer screening, early detection and treatment prognosis. The study involves sensor development, extensive laboratory testing and the collection of clinical data to optimize the performance of the combined imaging/pressure sensor device in a clinical environment. This proposal will create a prototype of the next-generation real-time elasticity imaging system for improving breast disease detection and diagnosis. That system and the methods developed in this proposal can be replicated for a large-scale clinical trial to evaluate the accuracy performance of Quantitative Mechanical Imaging. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This is a proposal to develop new ultrasound technology to image and quantify the nonlinear elastic properties of in vivo breast tissues with the intent of significantly improving the specificity of breast ultrasound. The proposed effort involves creating a two-dimensional ultrasound array transducer that has an integrated tactile sensor array for detecting the contact pressure distribution during elasticity imaging experiments. The resulting calibrated 3D strain images and images of elastic nonlinearity also show promise for directly imaging ductal carcinoma in situ, thereby potentially improving early detection of breast cancer.

描述（由申请人提供）：这是开发新的超声技术的建议，以形象和量化体内乳腺组织的非线性弹性特性，目的是显着提高乳房超声的特异性。拟议的研究将将压力传感器阵列纳入二维（2D）超声传感器阵列中。组合装置将用于测量乳房超声弹性成像期间的接触压力。乳房中总施加的压力分布和相应的3D应变场的测量将分为三个原理成像进步。首先，它允许对相对机械应变图像进行校准，以比较已知的应力水平上的图像对比度。其次，它提供了校准信息，以允许在（线性）剪切弹性模量的3D中进行定量重建。第三，测量接触瞬间的施加应力可以对弹性非线性进行公正的评估。这三个目标中的任何一个都代表了对当前技术的显着改善，并且可能会改善乳腺肿块的差异诊断。初步数据证明了这种设备的潜在增益。首先，当使用2D阵列启用3D跟踪时，应有显着改善应变图像质量。其次，各种组织类型的弹性非线性似乎是唯一的，并且具有区分僵硬质量的僵硬质量的潜在意义。最近的结果表明，可以对乳腺组织的弹性非线性参数进行成像。第三，对离体乳房组织样品的测量发现，导管癌（DCIS）的弹性癌具有所有考虑的所有组织的弹性非线性。因此，尽管该提案的目标是提高乳房超声特异性，但拟议的技术为直接成像乳房中DCI的3D分布的引人入胜的可能性，这将对乳腺癌筛查，早期检测和治疗预后产生深远的影响。该研究涉及传感器的开发，广泛的实验室测试和收集临床数据，以优化临床环境中组合成像/压力传感器设备的性能。该建议将创建下一代实时弹性成像系统的原型，以改善乳房疾病的检测和诊断。该系统和本提案中开发的方法可以重复进行大规模临床试验，以评估定量机械成像的准确性。公共卫生相关性：这是一项开发新的超声技术的建议，以形象和量化体内乳腺组织的非线性弹性特性，目的是显着提高乳房超声的特异性。提出的努力涉及创建一个二维超声阵列传感器，该驱动器具有一个集成的触觉传感器阵列，用于检测弹性成像实验期间的接触压力分布。由此产生的校准3D应变图像和弹性非线性的图像也显示出有望直接对原位进行导管癌的成像，从而有可能改善对乳腺癌的早期检测。