Real-Time 3-D Contrast-Enhanced Transcranial Ultrasound and Aberration Correction

• Published in: Ultrasound in medicine & biology Vol. 34; no. 9; pp. 1387 - 1395
• Main Authors: Ivancevich, Nikolas M, Pinton, Gianmarco F, Nicoletto, Heather A, Bennett, Ellen, Laskowitz, Daniel T, Smith, Stephen W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01.09.2008
• Subjects: 3-D imaging; Adult; Basilar Artery - diagnostic imaging; Brain - blood supply; Calibration; Cerebral Veins - diagnostic imaging; Circle of Willis - diagnostic imaging; Computer Systems; Contrast Media; Female; Humans; Image Enhancement; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Intracranial arteries; Male; Microbubbles; Phase aberration; Radiology; Transcranial; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial - methods; Ultrasound contrast; Transcranial; 3-D imaging; Intracranial arteries; Phase aberration; Ultrasound contrast
• ISSN: 0301-5629; 1879-291X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2008.01.015

Abstract Contrast-enhanced (CE) transcranial ultrasound (US) and reconstructed 3-D transcranial ultrasound have shown advantages over traditional methods in a variety of cerebrovascular diseases. We present the results from a novel ultrasound technique, namely real-time 3-D contrast-enhanced transcranial ultrasound. Using real-time 3-D (RT3D) ultrasound and microbubble contrast agent, we scanned 17 healthy volunteers via a single temporal window and nine via the suboccipital window and report our detection rates for the major cerebral vessels. In 71% of subjects, both of our observers identified the ipsilateral circle of Willis from the temporal window, and in 59% we imaged the entire circle of Willis. From the suboccipital window, both observers detected the entire vertebrobasilar circulation in 22% of subjects, and in 44%, the basilar artery. After performing phase aberration correction on one subject, we were able to increase the diagnostic value of the scan, detecting a vessel not present in the uncorrected scan. These preliminary results suggest that RT3D CE transcranial US and RT3D CE transcranial US with phase aberration correction have the potential to greatly impact the field of neurosonology. (E-mail: ni3@duke.edu )