Acoustic Characterization Of Contrast Agents For Medical Ultrasound Imaging

Contrast agents for medical ultrasound imaging is a field of growing interest. A large amount of literature has been published on the medical applications of such contrast agents. However, there is no textbook giving a broad overview of the physics and acoustics of the agents. This monograph aims to fill this gap. The book is written by a physicist, from a physics point of view, and it tries to draw links from the physics and acoustics to the medical imaging methods, but medical applications are mainly included for background information. The book consists of nine chapters. The first three chapters give a broad overview of the acoustic theory for bubble-sound interaction, both linear and nonlinear. Most contrast agents are stabilized in a shell, and this shell can have a strong influence on the interaction between the bubbles and the ultrasound. The effect of the shell is given special attention, as this is not easily found in other bubble literature. The following chapters, 4, 5, 6, and 7, describe experimental and theoretical methods used to characterize the acoustic properties of the agents, and results of studies on some agents. Chapter 8 shows how the theory and the experimental results can be combined and used to model various phenomena by means of computer simulations. The main purpose of the simulations is to get insight into the mechanisms behind the described phenomena, not to get accurate predictions and values. The book is aimed at both newcomers into the field, as well as those who are more experienced but want better insight into the acoustics of the contrast bubbles.

Recent advancements in nano/micro materials and related characterization approaches allow the design of a new type of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) with enhanced multifunctional behaviour. This is chance is also supported by the recent achievements in modelling and signal processing. This book provides the state of art of the research activity of two successful European projects, TAMIRUT and SIGHT, addressing an integrated system, encompassing the contrast agent, the hardware equipment and the processing strategies, as a key tool for a combined diagnostic and therapeutic approaches (theranostics) in medical ultrasound. The work provides a highlight of the state of art in the research of novel ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs). Main progresses on the multifunctional aspects of next-generation UCAs concern targeting and drug release properties, perfusion and biointerface behaviour, ultrasound scattering performance, signal processing, electronic equipment.

Up-to-Date Details on Using Ultrasound Imaging to Help Diagnose Various Diseases Due to improvements in image quality and the reduced cost of advanced features, ultrasound imaging is playing a greater role in the diagnosis and image-guided intervention of a wide range of diseases. Ultrasound Imaging and Therapy highlights the latest advances in using ultrasound imaging in image-guided interventions and ultrasound-based therapy. The book presents current and emerging techniques, identifies trends in the use of ultrasound imaging, and addresses technical and computational problems that need to be solved. The book is organized into three sections. The first section covers advances in technology, including transducers (2-D, 3-D, and 4-D), beamformers, 3-D imaging systems, and blood velocity estimation systems. The second section focuses on diagnostic applications, such as elastography, quantitative techniques for therapy monitoring and diagnostic imaging, and ultrasound tomography. The final section explains the use of ultrasound in image-guided interventions for image-guided biopsy and brain imaging.

The value of ultrasound contrast agents (USCA) in everyday clinical practice depends on the pharmacokinetics, the signal processing, and the contrast-specific imaging modalities. Second-generation USCA, are blood pool agents that do not leak into the organ tissue to be examined but remain in the intravascular compartment increasing the Doppler signal amplitude during their dynamic vascular phase. Taking advantage of the stability of their microbubbles, they can withstand the acoustic pressure of insonation much better than first-generation contrast media, which results in an increased half-life of the agent and, consequently, in a prolonged diagnostic window. Concomitant with the improvement of contrast agents, different contrast-specific imaging modalities have been developed which, used in combination with USCA and a low mechanical index, allow continuous real-time grey-scale imaging. These recent technical improvements have opened new possibilities in the use of USCA in a variety of indications. Written by internationally renowned experts, the contributions gathered in this book give an overview of current and possible future new applications of USCA in routine and clinical practice.

Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging provides a unified description of the physical principles of ultrasound imaging, signal processing, systems and measurements. This comprehensive reference is a core resource for both graduate students and engineers in medical ultrasound research and design. With continuing rapid technological development of ultrasound in medical diagnosis, it is a critical subject for biomedical engineers, clinical and healthcare engineers and practitioners, medical physicists, and related professionals in the fields of signal and image processing. The book contains 17 new and updated chapters covering the fundamentals and latest advances in the area, and includes four appendices, 450 figures (60 available in color on the companion website), and almost 1,500 references. In addition to the continual influx of readers entering the field of ultrasound worldwide who need the broad grounding in the core technologies of ultrasound, this book provides those already working in these areas with clear and comprehensive expositions of these key new topics as well as introductions to state-of-the-art innovations in this field. Enables practicing engineers, students and clinical professionals to understand the essential physics and signal processing techniques behind modern imaging systems as well as introducing the latest developments that will shape medical ultrasound in the future Suitable for both newcomers and experienced readers, the practical, progressively organized applied approach is supported by hands-on MATLAB® code and worked examples that enable readers to understand the principles underlying diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound Covers the new important developments in the use of medical ultrasound: elastography and high-intensity therapeutic ultrasound. Many new developments are comprehensively reviewed and explained, including aberration correction, acoustic measurements, acoustic radiation force imaging, alternate imaging architectures, bioeffects: diagnostic to therapeutic, Fourier transform imaging, multimode imaging, plane wave compounding, research platforms, synthetic aperture, vector Doppler, transient shear wave elastography, ultrafast imaging and Doppler, functional ultrasound and viscoelastic models

While the prevalence of plastics and elastomers in medical devices is now quite well known, there is less information available covering the use of medical devices and the applications of polymers beyond medical devices, such as in hydrogels, biopolymers and silicones beyond enhancement applications, and few books in which these are combined into a single reference. This book is a comprehensive reference source, bringing together a number of key medical polymer topics in one place for a broad audience of engineers and scientists, especially those currently developing new medical devices or seeking more information about current and future applications. In addition to a broad range of applications, the book also covers clinical outcomes and complications arising from the use of the polymers in the body, giving engineers a vital insight into the real world implications of the devices they’re creating. Regulatory issues are also covered in detail. The book also presents the latest developments on the use of polymers in medicine and development of nano-scale devices. Gathers discussions of a large number of applications of polymers in medicine in one place Provides an insight into both the legal and clinical implications of device design Relevant to industry, academic and medical professionals Presents the latest developments in the field, including medical devices on a nano-scale

Ultrasound in Medicine is a broad-ranging study of medical ultrasound, including ultrasound propagation, interaction with tissue, and innovations in the application of ultrasound in medicine. The book focuses specifically on the science and technology-the underlying physics and engineering. It examines the most closely related aspects of these basic sciences in clinical application and reviews the success of technological innovations in improving medical diagnosis and treatment. The book bridges the gap between tutorial texts widely available for ultrasound and medical training and theoretical works on acoustics.

The physical properties of ultrasound, particularly its highly directional beam behaviour, and its complex interactions with human tissues, have led to its becoming a vitally important tool in both investigative and interventional medicine, and one that still has much exciting potential. This new edition of a well-received book treats the phenomenon of ultrasound in the context of medical and biological applications, systematically discussing fundamental physical principles and concepts. Rather than focusing on earlier treatments, based largely on the simplifications of geometrical acoustics, this book examines concepts of wave acoustics, introducing them in the very first chapter. Practical implications of these concepts are explored, first the generation and nature of acoustic fields, and then their formal descriptions and measurement. Real tissues attenuate and scatter ultrasound in ways that have interesting relationships to their physical chemistry, and the book includes coverage of these topics. Physical Principles of Medical Ultrasonics also includes critical accounts and discussions of the wide variety of diagnostic and investigative applications of ultrasound that are now becoming available in medicine and biology. The book also encompasses the biophysics of ultrasound, its practical applications to therapeutic and surgical objectives, and its implications in questions of hazards to both patient and operator.