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Title: Combined Laser, Ultrasound, and Elasticity Imaging to Improve Specificity in Cancer Diagnosis
Committee:
Dr. Emelianov, Advisor
Dr. Degertekin, Chair
Dr. Lindsey
Abstract:
The objective of the proposed research is to develop a combined laser, ultrasound, and elasticity (CLUE) imaging system that is capable of simultaneous and synergistic probing of acoustic, optical, and mechanical properties of tissue for enhanced diagnosis of primary cancer and metastatic foci. Medical ultrasound imaging is a relatively safe, cost-effective tool that provides a cross-sectional image of anatomy in real-time, but suffers from low contrast and does not provide functional information needed to detect and assess a suspicious lesion. To circumvent this limitation, shear wave elasticity imaging, which noninvasively measures Young’s modulus of tissue, has been investigated because malignant tumors are typically stiffer than benign ones. This study introduces a transmit beamforming method to create multiangular shear waves, thereby improving the frame-rate and quality of elasticity images. Combining an ultrasound system with a laser brings two additional benefits – photoacoustic imaging of optical contrast of tissue and imaging phase-change contrast agents triggered in response to pulsed-laser illumination. This research introduces a method enabling background-free contrast-enhanced imaging using optically triggered contrast agents and aims to develop a system capable of elasticity imaging and ultrafast ultrasound imaging with multi-wavelength laser irradiation. Based on the improvements in each imaging capability, we will complete and verify the CLUE imaging system, which allows for comprehensive characterization of cancer and thus improves specificity in cancer diagnosis.
