Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

High-Frequency Ex vivo Ultrasound Imaging of the Auditory System

2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 35; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2009.05.021

1879-291X

Jeremy A. Brown, Zahra Torbatian, Robert B. A. Adamson, René Van Wijhe, Ronald J. E. Pennings, Geoffrey R. Lockwood, Manohar Bance,

Ear Surgery and Otitis Media

A 50MHz array-based imaging system was used to obtain high-resolution images of the ear and auditory system. This previously described custom built imaging system (Brown et al. 2004a, 2004b; Brown and Lockwood 2005) is capable of 50 microm axial resolution, and lateral resolution varying from 80 microm to 130 microm over a 5.12 mm scan depth. The imaging system is based on a 2mm diameter, seven-element equal-area annular array, and a digital beamformer that uses high-speed field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The images produced by this system have shown far superior depth of field compared with commercially available single-element systems. Ex vivo, three-dimensional (3-D) images were obtained of human cadaveric tissues including the ossicles (stapes, incus, malleus) and the tympanic membrane. In addition, two-dimensional (2-D) images were obtained of an intact cochlea by imaging through the round window membrane. The basilar membrane inside the cochlea could clearly be visualized. These images demonstrate that high-frequency ultrasound imaging of the middle and inner ear can provide valuable diagnostic information using minimally invasive techniques that could potentially be implemented in vivo.