SUMMARY:
UCLA researchers in the Departments of Head and Neck Surgery, Bioengineering, and Electrical Engineering have developed an imaging modality called vibroacoustography that uses ultra-sound-based technology to identify targets.
BACKGROUND:
The identification and diagnosis of diseases in target tissue guides surgical intervention. Current surgical methods for intra-operative tissue discrimination are primarily based on palpation: but fail to localize deep tissue diseases. To localize deep tissue diseases, there are currently several non-invasive imaging modalities that look to inform surgeons prior to operative interventions. However, these imaging modalities are difficult to use during surgical treatments and may mislead surgeons to how diseased a tissue is. The delineation of a margin between healthy and non-healthy tissue may lead to over or under excision, and potentially lead to recurrent disease. There is a current need for the development of an imaging modality that can offer: higher resolution, higher contrast, deeper penetration, lower operating costs, and lower overall footprint. The realization of these characteristics could lead to enhanced intra-operative boundary identification, guiding surgical interventions.
INNOVATION:
UCLA Researchers in the Departments of Head and Neck Surgery, Bioengineering, and Electrical Engineering have developed an imaging modality called vibroacoustography that uses ultra-sound-based technology to identify targets. Vibroacoustography (VA) is a non-invasive imaging modality that uses the viscoelastic (i.e. mechanical) properties of targets to distinguish various material types within an area of interest. The mechanical properties of the identified target are distinguished mathematically, allowing for quantitative information collection. VA relies on two co-axial emitted acoustic tones that interact with tissue to produce a unique acoustic wave that can be mathematically decoded to distinguish object characteristics. Detection of this acoustic wave not only generates contrast enough for image formation, but the acquired data enables for the quantitative characterization of material properties: allowing surgeons to intra-operatively identify boundaries of healthy to non-healthy tissue.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
• The identification of foreign masses for various disease detections (benefits over other imaging modalities in the ease of intra-operative integration)
• The boundary identification of healthy to non-healthy tissue
ADVANTAGES:
• Higher resolution and contrast images compared to Ultrasound
• Specifically designed to enhance boundary identification making it ideal for intraoperative margin delineation: real-time use
DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE:
The invention has been used to identify the physical properties of a phantom object in the publication mentioned below.