Techniques and Evaluation From a Cross-Platform Imaging Comparison of Quantitative Ultrasound Parameters in an In Vivo Rodent Fibroadenoma Model
Abstract
This contribution demonstrates that quantitative ultrasound (QUS) capabilities are platform independent, using an in vivo model. Frequency-dependent attenuation estimates, backscatter coefficient, and effective scatterer diameter estimates are shown to be comparable across four different ultrasound imaging systems with varied processing techniques. The backscatter coefficient (BSC) is a fundamental material property from which several QUS parameters are estimated; therefore, consistent BSC estimates among different systems must be demonstrated. This study is an intercomparison of BSC estimates acquired by three research groups (UIUC, UW, ISU) from four in vivo spontaneous rat mammary fibroadenomas using three clinical array systems and a single-element laboratory scanner system. Because of their highly variable backscatter properties, fibroadenomas provided an extreme test case for BSC analysis, and the comparison is across systems for each tumor, not across the highly heterogeneous tumors. RF echo data spanning the 1 to 12 MHz frequency range were acquired in three dimensions from all animals using each system. Each research group processed their RF data independently, and the resulting attenuation, BSC, and effective scatterer diameter (ESD) estimates were compared. The attenuation estimates across all systems showed the same trends and consistently fit the power-law dependence on frequency. BSCs varied among the multiple slices of data acquired by each transducer, with…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Lathyrism-induced alterations in collagen cross-links influence the mechanical properties of bone material without affecting the mineral
- High-Resolution SPECT-CT/MR Molecular Imaging of Angiogenesis in the Vx2 Model
- Severely impaired bone material quality in Chihuahua zebrafish resembles classical dominant human osteogenesis imperfecta
- Small-animal SPECT and SPECT/CT: application in cardiovascular research
- Intravital imaging of osteocytes in mouse calvaria using third harmonic generation microscopy
- The small molecule CLP257 does not modify activity of the K+–Cl− co-transporter KCC2 but does potentiate GABAA receptor activity
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.