Sheryl M. Gracewski

Non-invasive quantitative reconstruction of tissue elasticity using an iterative forward approach.

A novel iterative approach is presented to estimate Youngs modulus in homogeneous soft tissues using vibration sonoelastography. A low-frequency (below 100 Hz) external vibration is applied and three or more consecutive frames of B-scan image data are recorded. The internal vibrational motion of the soft tissue structures is calculated from 2D displacements between pairs of consecutive frames, which are estimated using a mesh-based speckle tracking method. An iterative forward finite element approach has been developed to reconstruct Youngs modulus from the measured vibrational motion. This is accomplished by subdividing the 2D image domain into sample blocks in which Youngs modulus is assumed to be constant. Because the finite element equations are internally consistent, boundary values other than displacement are not required. The sensitivity of the results to Poissons ratio and the damping coefficient (viscosity) is investigated. The approach is verified using simulated displacement data and using data from tissue-mimicking phantoms.

A unified view of imaging the elastic properties of tissue

A number of different approaches have been developed to estimate and image the elastic properties of tissue. The biomechanical properties of tissues are vitally linked to function and pathology, but cannot be directly assessed by conventional ultrasound, MRI, CT, or nuclear imaging. Research developments have introduced new approaches, using either MRI or ultrasound to image the tissue response to some stimulus. A wide range of stimuli has been evaluated, including heat, water jets, vibration shear waves, compression, and quasistatic compression, using single or multiple steps or low-frequency (<10 Hz) cyclic excitation. These may seem to be greatly dissimilar, and appear to produce distinctly different types of information and images. However, our purpose in this tutorial is to review the major classes of excitation stimuli, and then to demonstrate that they produce responses that fall within a common spectrum of elastic behavior. Within this spectrum, the major classes of excitation include step compression, cyclic quasistatic compression, harmonic shear wave excitation, and transient shear wave excitation. The information they reveal about the unknown elastic distribution within an imaging region of interest are shown to be fundamentally related because the tissue responses are governed by the same equation. Examples use simple geometry to emphasize the common nature of the approaches.

Picosecond dynamics of surface electron transfer processes: Surface restricted transient grating studies of the n‐TiO2/H2O interface

The surface restricted transient grating is demonstrated as a sensitive probe of ultrafast surface reaction dynamics. Studies of doped single crystal n‐TiO2 (001) surfaces in air demonstrate linear trapping processes, assigned to crystal defects within the surface deformation layer, that limit carrier lifetimes to 5 ns. Direct in situ grating studies at photochemically active n‐TiO2/H2O interfaces demonstrate that the dominant mechanism of interfacial electron transfer in this system involves thermalized hole carriers at the atomic surface. The dynamics are consistent with adsorbed OH− as the initial hole acceptor. In addition, optical generation of coherent surface acoustic modes is demonstrated. A detailed theory is presented for the grating excitation of the surface acoustics. Acoustic propagation in the H2O half‐space of the TiO2/H2O liquid interface gives evidence for a phase change of the water layer at the polar TiO2 (001) surface to a solid phase.

The behaviour of a gas cavity impacted by a weak or strong shock wave

Two-dimensional simulations of gas cavity responses to both weak shocks ( p ≤ 30 MPa) and strong shocks ( p ranging from 500 to 2000 MPa) are performed using a finite volume method. An artificial viscosity to capture the shock and a simple, stable, and adaptive mesh generation technique have been developed for the computations. The details of the shock propagation, rarefaction, transmission and bubble wall motions are obtained from the numerical computations. A weak shock is defined in the present context as one that does not cause liquid jet formation upon impact with the bubble. For this case, a large pressure is created within the gas upon collapse due to rapid compression of the gas, ultimately causing the re-expansion of the bubble. The bubble collapse and re-expansion time predicted by this model agree well with spherically symmetric computations. When impacted by strong shock waves, the bubble will collapse and a liquid jet is formed that propagates through the bubble to the opposite bubble wall. Jet speeds as high as 2000 m s −1 are predicted by this model.

Ultrasonic excitation of a bubble inside a deformable tube: Implications for ultrasonically induced hemorrhage

Various independent investigations indicate that the presence of microbubbles within blood vessels may increase the likelihood of ultrasound-induced hemorrhage. To explore potential damage mechanisms, an axisymmetric coupled finite element and boundary element code was developed and employed to simulate the response of an acoustically excited bubble centered within a deformable tube. As expected, the tube mitigates the expansion of the bubble. The maximum tube dilation and maximum hoop stress were found to occur well before the bubble reached its maximum radius. Therefore, it is not likely that the expanding low pressure bubble pushes the tube wall outward. Instead, simulation results indicate that the tensile portion of the acoustic excitation plays a major role in tube dilation and thus tube rupture. The effects of tube dimensions (tube wall thickness 1-5 microm), material properties (Youngs modulus 1-10 MPa), ultrasound frequency (1-10 MHz), and pressure amplitude (0.2-1.0 MPa) on bubble response and tube dilation were investigated. As the tube thickness, tube radius, and acoustic frequency decreased, the maximum hoop stress increased, indicating a higher potential for tube rupture and hemorrhage.

Bioeffects of positive and negative acoustic pressures in mice infused with microbubbles

This study provided one test of the hypothesis that hemorrhage in tissues containing ultrasound (US) contrast agents results from inertial cavitation. The test relied on the prediction of classical cavitation theory that the response of microbubbles to negative pressures is much greater than it is for positive pressures. An endoscopic electrohydraulic lithotripter was used to generate a spherically diverging positive pressure pulse. A negative pressure pulse was produced by reflection of the positive pulse from a pressure release interface. Mice were injected with approximately 0. 1 mL of Albunex(R) and exposed to 100 pulses at either + 3.6 MPa or -3.6 MPa pressure amplitude. For comparison, mice were also exposed to the same acoustic fields without injection of contrast agents. Sham animals experienced the same protocols, with or without Albunex(R) injections, but were not exposed to the lithotripter fields. Following exposure, mice were scored for hemorrhage to various organs and tissues. When Albunex(R) was present in the vasculature, negative pressure pulses produced significantly more hemorrhage than positive pressures in tissues such as the kidney, intestine, skin, muscle, fat, mesentery and stomach.

Ability of high-intensity ultrasound to ablate human atherosclerotic plaques and minimize debris size.

To investigate whether high-intensity ultrasound can destroy atherosclerotic plaques while sparing the normal arterial wall, 279 normal human aortic sites and 119 fibrous and 193 calcified plaques, obtained from 24 necropsies, were insonified in a water tank, at 20 kHz and at 5 different power intensities, ranging from 68 W/cm2 (P1) to 150 W/cm2 (P5). These intensities were associated with a total excursion of the ultrasound irradiation apparatus tip from 90 to 268 microns, respectively. Time to perforate normal aortic sites and fibrous and calcified plaques was recorded at each intensity. There was no difference in perforation time between normal aortic sites and fibrous and calcified plaques when high-power levels (P2 to P5) were used. However, at the lowest power (P1), perforation time for the normal aortic wall was significantly longer than for fibrous and calcified plaques: 30 +/- 18 seconds (166 observations), 14 +/- 7 seconds (p less than 0.001) (78 observations) and 12 +/- 8 seconds (p less than 0.001) (115 observations), respectively. When perforation times for normal vessel wall versus fibrous plaque and normal vessel wall versus calcified plaque from the same necropsy specimen were compared in a pairwise manner, the results were: 29 +/- 13 vs 16 +/- 7 (p less than 0.001) (48 paired observations) and 26 +/- 9 vs 10 +/- 5 seconds (p less than 0.001) (55 paired observations), respectively. Regardless of whether paired or unpaired comparison was applied, no significant difference was found in perforation time between fibrous and calcified plaques. The debris did not differ in size as measured separately for normal sites and fibrous and calcified plaques by a computer-interfaced Channelizer and Coulter Counter system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Internal stress wave measurements in solids subjected to lithotripter pulses

Semiconductor strain gauges were used to measure the internal strain along the axes of spherical and disk plaster specimens when subjected to lithotripter shock pulses. The pulses were produced by one of two lithotripters. The first source generates spherically diverging shock waves of peak pressure approximately 1 MPa at the surface of the specimen. For this source, the incident and first reflected pressure (P) waves in both sphere and disk specimens were identified. In addition, waves reflected by the disk circumference were found to contribute significantly to the strain fields along the disk axis. Experimental results compared favorably to a ray theory analysis of a spherically diverging shock wave striking either concretion. For the sphere, pressure contours for the incident P wave and caustic lines were determined theoretically for an incident spherical shock wave. These caustic lines indicate the location of the highest stresses within the sphere and therefore the areas where damage may occur. Results were also presented for a second source that uses an ellipsoidal reflector to generate a 30-MPa focused shock wave, more closely approximating the wave fields of a clinical extracorporeal lithotripter.

Analysis of chatter in contour grinding of optical materials

Abstract Chatter that limits ground surface finish has been observed in the deterministic microgrinding of brittle optical materials. In this article, the classical single degree of freedom model for chatter, accounting for both work and tool regenerative effects, is adapted for contour grinding optical surfaces. A linearized expression for the cutting stiffness is developed for the contour grinding geometry based on Preston’s law. Techniques developed to measure the machine frequency response function (FRF) and the Preston coefficient, needed as inputs to the simulations, are described. Numerical simulations based on this model are used to predict the grinding system behavior and to investigate process parameters affecting chatter stability. The stability limits observed during grinding experiments on optical glasses are in good agreement with the simulation results.

OPTICAL GENERATION OF HIGH-FREQUENCY ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GAAS/ALXGA1-XAS PERIODIC MULTILAYER STRUCTURES

A picosecond study of ultrahigh‐frequency acoustic phonons in specifically engineered GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs periodic multilayer structures is presented. The lattice‐matched boundary conditions for photothermal acoustic generation and optical properties of these materials make these structures ideal for sound‐wave generation in the 100 GHz to THz range. The acoustics are generated using ultrashort‐laser‐pulse excitation and detected in real time by measuring the strain‐induced change in reflectivity with the pump‐probe technique. By using 12 nJ, 90 fs pulses from a Ti:sapphire laser source, the generation and detection of ∼50 GHz acoustics in a 6‐bilayer, [001]‐oriented GaAs/Al0.4Ga0.6As structure, 500 A thickness per layer, on a GaAs substrate, are successfully demonstrated. The structure was specifically designed to give the maximum sensitivity to the acoustics through etalon‐induced modulations in the reflectivity spectrum. With similarly designed multilayer structures, the upper frequency limit can be achiev...