Changes in soft tissue elasticity are usually related to pathological processes. Because of this, palpation is still widely used for diagnosis. Its efficacy, however, is limited to abnormalities located relatively close to the skin surface. The goal of quantitative elasticity imaging is to develop surrogate, remote palpation, thus expanding its range to include deep lying lesions. The elastic properties of any continuous medium such as tissue can be assessed through precise measurement of mechanical deformations throughout that medium induced by forces applied at the surface. Using modern medical imaging devices to precisely measure internal motion, it should be possible to estimate and even image elastic properties of internal organs. In competition with other imaging modalities, ultrasound has two major advantages for elasticity imaging; it is inherently real-time and speckle artifacts limiting the quality of conventional images provide excellent markers for accurate tracking of tissue motion. Elasticity can be imaged, therefore, by measuring motion with an ultrasound speckle tracking algorithm, followed by reconstruction of the elasticity distribution. Although some other imaging systems, particularly real- time ultrasound, must be used to monitor tissue motion, elasticity imaging represents a fundamentally new diagnostic modality. To investigate quantitative elasticity imaging for medical diagnosis, a research plan addressing the important clinical problem of renal inflammation and scarring has been formulated. Preliminary data support the hypothesis that kidney elasticity changes with renal damage and concomitant scarring before renal problems are detectable by traditional diagnostic techniques such as laboratory measurements of renal function. Therefore, quantitative elasticity imaging may be valuable in detecting and quantifying scar for conditions such as kidney transplant rejection where rejection is difficult to quantify from functional measurements alone. Based on the results of these studies, it is the long range goal of this research program to develop a sensitive diagnostic technique based on quantitative elasticity imaging permitting surrogate palpation of deep lying lesions.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01DK047324-01A1
Application #
2146817
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG7-SSS-X (25))
Project Start
1995-01-01
Project End
1997-12-31
Budget Start
1995-01-01
Budget End
1995-12-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1995
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Department
Engineering (All Types)
Type
Schools of Engineering
DUNS #
791277940
City
Ann Arbor
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48109
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Weitzel, William F; Kim, Kang; Rubin, Jonathan M et al. (2004) Feasibility of applying ultrasound strain imaging to detect renal transplant chronic allograft nephropathy. Kidney Int 65:733-6
O'Donnell, Matthew; Skovoroda, Andrei R (2004) Prospects for elasticity reconstruction in the heart. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 51:322-8
Chen, Xunchang; Zohdy, Marwa J; Emelianov, Stanislav Y et al. (2004) Lateral speckle tracking using synthetic lateral phase. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 51:540-50
Erkamp, Ramon Q; Skovoroda, Andrei R; Emelianov, Stanislav Y et al. (2004) Measuring the nonlinear elastic properties of tissue-like phantoms. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 51:410-9
Erkamp, Ramon Q; Emelianov, Stanislav Y; Skovoroda, Andrei R et al. (2004) Nonlinear elasticity imaging: theory and phantom study. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 51:532-9
Rubin, Jonathan M; Aglyamov, Salavat R; Wakefield, Thomas W et al. (2003) Clinical application of sonographic elasticity imaging for aging of deep venous thrombosis: preliminary findings. J Ultrasound Med 22:443-8
Emelianov, S Y; Chen, X; O'Donnell, M et al. (2002) Triplex ultrasound: elasticity imaging to age deep venous thrombosis. Ultrasound Med Biol 28:757-67
Hollman, Kyle W; Emelianov, Stanislav Y; Neiss, Jason H et al. (2002) Strain imaging of corneal tissue with an ultrasound elasticity microscope. Cornea 21:68-73
Kaluzynski, K; Chen, X; Emelianov, S Y et al. (2001) Strain rate imaging using two-dimensional speckle tracking. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 48:1111-23

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