Unmet Need
Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound systems have seen increased adoption in guiding various interventional procedures, such as in thermal ablation procedures to guide the placement of the ablation probe to the target area. However, there are several disadvantages of using 3D ultrasound in robotic systems. First, ultrasound itself is unable to detect isoechoic lesions and tumors because they appear to have the same brightness intensities as the surrounding tissue in an image, preventing 3D robotic ultrasound systems from identifying, segmenting, or tracking isoechoic target tissue. Additionally, ablation probes can generate a significant amount of noise, interfering with the ultrasound signal and the ability to generate accurate images. Thus, there is a need for a new imaging system that can detect isoechoic target regions and is robust to noisy environments.
Technology Overview
Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a novel robotic five-dimensional (5D) ultrasound system that combines 4-D ultrasound imaging (3 spatial dimensions and time) with strain data, creating a volume-rendering pipeline that allows for highly accurate ultrasound imaging with five degrees of freedom. Using elastography imaging, the strain data provides a method of enhancing segmentation and real-time volume rendering of ultrasound data, accounting for motion artifacts and organ deformation. A novel algorithm for ultrasound strain imaging was also developed to help accurately identify targeted lesions and surrounding structures. With this 5D ultrasound data, the system has the potential to help monitor delivered therapy, like biopsy procedures, based on the appearance of isoechoic lesions.
Stage of Development
Ready for commercialization.
Patent
US7901357B2
Publication
Deshmukh N, et al. “Five-dimensional ultrasound system for soft tissue visualization.” Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg 2015.
