Optimization of Ultrasound Parameters for Nanobubble Nonlinear Contrast Imaging

Recent work has established nanobubbles with contrast enhanced ultrasound as a detection tool in cancer diagnosis. Due to localized accumulation, reduced diameter and higher number density of nanobubbles, extravasation vastly broadens the biomedical applications of contrast enhanced ultrasound. Methods of pulse sequencing for the capture of nonlinear bubble dynamics used in contrast enhanced ultrasound are numerous. However, amplitudes for such pulse sequences have been selected for the optimal capture of nonlinear echo backscatter from large agents (~1-10 µm diameter). The optimal parameters for bubble echo backscatter are highly dependent on agent size (e.g. increasing resonant frequency as bubble size decreases). Using these same pulse sequences on nanobubbles for NB-CEUS will result in suboptimal contrast-to-noise ratio while simultaneously accelerating bubble destruction and dissolution caused by higher pulse amplitudes in the sequence. Together these points limit the efficacy of NB-CEUS. This project aims to optimize contrast enhanced ultrasound pulse sequences for the use of nanobubbles on commercially available systems.

 

For more information on this project contact dana.wegierak2@case.edu