Using optical scattering to measure properties of ultrasound contrast agent shells
US7804595B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 14, 2006 |
| Grant date | Sep 28, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 24, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B8/481
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system and method for determining bubble shell properties using optical scattering. One or more ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) bubbles is placed in an imaging volume and illuminated with a laser. The UCA is exposed to pressure variations (e.g., using pulses of imaging or therapeutic ultrasound), while optical scattering data are collected and processed. The scattering intensity is related to the radius of the UCA. Thus, changes in the radius due to varying pressure conditions results in variations in the scattering intensity. The collected data are processed to provide a radius versus time (RT) relationship. The RT relationship is fit to one or more conventional dynamic models. The fitted empirical data can be used to determine one or more UCA parameters, such as shear modulus and shell viscosity.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.