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Science News from research organizations
Versatile ultrasound system could transform
how doctors use medical imaging
Optical ultrasound system compatible with MRI, would
allow doctors to rapidly switch modes for best view
July 2, 2018
The Optical Society
A new ultrasound system that uses optical, instead of
electronic components, could improve performance while
giving doctors significantly more flexibility in how they use
ultrasound to diagnose and treat medical problems.
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2. This prototype is the first all-optical ultrasound imager to demonstrate
video-rate, real-time 2D imaging of biological tissue. The achievement is
an important step toward making all-optical ultrasound practical for
routine clinical use, where it could offer significant advantages over
current imaging technology.
Credit: Erwin J. Alles, University College London
While ultrasound is one of the most common medical
imaging tools, conventional electronic ultrasound devices
tend to be bulky and cannot be used at the same time as
some other imaging technologies. A new ultrasound
system that uses optical, instead of electronic components,
could improve performance while giving doctors
significantly more flexibility in how they use ultrasound to
diagnose and treat medical problems.
In The Optical Society (OSA) journal Biomedical Optics Express,
researchers demonstrate for the first time the use of an all-optical ultrasound
imager for video-rate, real-time 2D imaging of biological tissue. The
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3. achievement is an important step toward making all-optical ultrasound
practical for routine clinical use.
Because they require no electronic components in the imaging probe, all-
optical ultrasound systems could be safely used at the same time as
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. This would give doctors a
more comprehensive picture of the tissues around an area of interest, such
as a tumor or blood vessel.
"All-optical ultrasound imaging probes have the potential to revolutionize
image-guided interventions," said Erwin J. Alles, University College London,
United Kingdom. "A lack of electronics and the resulting MRI compatibility
will allow for true multimodality image guidance, with probes that are
potentially just a fraction of the cost of conventional electronic counterparts."
Lightbeam scanning mirrors built into the device increase image quality and
make it possible to acquire images in different modes. In a clinical setting,
this would allow doctors to rapidly toggle between modes on a single
instrument to suit the task at hand. Acquiring different types of images using
conventional ultrasound systems typically requires separate specialized
probes.
"The flexibility offered by the scanning mirrors will allow for seamless
switching between 2D and 3D imaging, as well as a dynamically adjustable
trade-off between image resolution and penetration depth, without the need
to swap imaging probe," said Alles. "Especially in a minimally invasive
interventional setting, swapping imaging probes is highly disruptive, extends
procedure times and introduces risks to the patient."
Eliminating electronics
Conventional ultrasound imagers use arrays of electronic transducers to
transmit high-frequency sound waves into tissue and receive the reflections.
A computer then constructs images of the tissue.
By contrast, all-optical ultrasound imagers use light to both transmit and
receive ultrasound waves. Pulsed laser light is used to generate ultrasound
waves, and scanning mirrors control where the waves are transmitted into
the tissue. A fiber optic sensor receives the reflected waves.
The electronic components of conventional ultrasound devices make them
difficult to miniaturize for internal use, so most existing ultrasound devices
are large, handheld probes that are placed against the skin. While some
high-resolution minimally invasive ultrasound probes have been developed,
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4. they are too expensive for routine clinical use. Optical components are
easily miniaturized and tiny all-optical ultrasound probes would likely be
significantly less expensive to manufacture than compact electronic
ultrasound systems, researchers say.
Speeding up image processing
To generate images, an all-optical ultrasound system must acquire data from
multiple optical source locations, combine them together and then create a
visualization that reconstructs the area being imaged.
Researchers have previously demonstrated using all-optical ultrasound to
generate high-quality 2D and 3D images, but acquiring the images took
hours, making these devices too slow to be used in a clinical setting. The
new demonstration is the first to acquire and display images with all-optical
ultrasound at video rates.
"Through the combination of a new imaging paradigm, new optical
ultrasound generating materials, optimized ultrasound source geometries
and a highly sensitive fiber-optic ultrasound detector, we achieved image
frame rates that were up to three orders of magnitude faster than the current
state-of-the-art," said Alles.
A medical multitool
Optical ultrasound systems are inherently more versatile than their electronic
counterparts because they can produce sound at a much larger bandwidth.
Alles and colleagues demonstrated how the light source can be manipulated
to generate either low frequency ultrasound, which results in greater
penetration into the tissue, or high frequency ultrasound, which offers higher
resolution images at a shallower depth.
The team tested their prototype system by imaging a deceased zebrafish, as
well as a pig artery that they manipulated to emulate the dynamics of pulsing
blood. The demonstration showed imaging capabilities comparable to an
electronic high-frequency ultrasound system, with a sustained frame rate of
15 Hertz, a dynamic range of 30 decibels, a penetration depth of 6
millimeters and a resolution of 75 by 100 micrometers.
To adapt the technology for clinical use, the researchers are working to
develop a long, flexible imaging probe for free-hand operation, as well as
miniaturized versions for endoscopic applications.
Story Source:

5. Cite This Page:
The Optical Society. "Versatile ultrasound system could transform how
doctors use medical imaging: Optical ultrasound system compatible with
MRI, would allow doctors to rapidly switch modes for best view."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 July 2018.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180702130033.htm>.
Materials provided by The Optical Society. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.
Journal Reference:
1. Erwin J. Alles, Sacha Noimark, Efthymios Maneas, Edward Z. Zhang,
Ivan P. Parkin, Paul C. Beard, Adrien E. Desjardins. Video-rate all-
optical ultrasound imaging. Biomedical Optics Express, 2018; 9 (8):
3481 DOI: 10.1364/BOE.9.003481
MLA APA Chicago
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