Imaging the microcirculation with any methodology has proven difficult and/or hazardous to the patient's health. Radiographic means are perhaps the state-of-the-art today, and unfortunately have been for the past several decades, since their inception. Popular, """"""""high-tech"""""""" means of noninvasive body imaging, such as magnetic resonance (MRI), ultrasound, or computed tomography (CT), all exhibit technical hurdles which have historically made it inconceivable to image the characteristic slow motions and small volumes of the microcirculation. A recent innovation by the proposing researchers in medical ultrasound has made it possible to detect microcirulatory blood flow, in which a special contrast agent is injected, and a previously ignored component of the backscattered echo is analyzed. In this project it is intended to extend this Doppler and one-dimensional imaging technique to two-dimensional imaging. A short term feasibility study will be undertaken, in which a commercial duplex ultrasonic imaging system will be modified and tested on in vivo animal models. The modifications will involve an external """"""""plug- in"""""""" module, to avoid damage to the imager and to expedite the animal experiments. This innovation will revolutionize many areas of medical diagnosis, ranging from retinal blood flow imaging to characterization of diabetic micropathy to tumor detection and assessment, without the introduction of hazardous substances or radiations.
