Device and process for quantifying bodies by means of ultrasound

• US 6,872,180 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acusphere Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Schering Ag (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Reinhardt, Michael, Briel, Andreas, Hauff, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Imam, Ali
• Application Number:
  US10/400,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20040092820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 600437-472, 367/7, 367/11, 367/130, 367/138, 424 951- 953, 128/916, 73625-633
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/481 involving the use of contrast agent, e.g. microbubbles introduced into the bloodstream analysis of echo signal exploiting properties of a contrast enhancer in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52039
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/6898 using avidin- or biotin-conjugated antibodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/223 Microbubbles, hollow microspheres, free gas bubbles, gas microspheres
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 5/00 Nanobiotechnology or nanomedicine, e.g. protein engineering or drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52041 detecting modification of a contrast enhancer, e.g. detecting the destruction of a contrast agent by an acoustic wave, e.g. loss of correlation diagnostic techniques involving the use of contrast agents A61B8/481

Abstract

In the quantification of bodies, especially bubbles, in ultrasonic diagnosis, the problem exists that the concentration of bodies, especially bubbles, is often so high that the image data that is obtained relative to the visualization becomes saturated, such that a quantification is impossible. To solve this problem, it is proposed that the bodies that are contained in the sectional layers of an object under examination first be excited by means of ultrasound to produce characteristic signals and to pick up these signals, to form data sets from the signals, to convert the data sets into an image of the body arrangement in the object under examination and to determine the number of bodies therefrom, whereby at least two ultrasonic signal sets from overlapping sectional layers in the object under examination are picked up.

Claims

1. A device far quantification of bodies that are contained in an object under examination, comprising

a) at least one transducer for emitting an ultrasound field with which the bodies that are contained in a layer in the object under examination can be excited to emit characteristic ultrasonic signals, and to receive characteristic signals,

b) at least one data processing system to determine the number of bodies in the layer that consists of the characteristic signals, and

c) means with which the ultrasound field can be shifted after an excitation of bodies in a first layer in an object under examination, such that bodies can be excited after shifting into a second layer, whereby the first layer and the second layer overlap and are displaced relative to one another in a parallel and defined manner.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the bodies are bubbles.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasound field can be shifted by at least 5 μ

m.

4. A device according to claims 1, wherein at least one transducer exhibits a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional array of piezo crystals.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein means are provided with which the object under examination and the two-dimensional array are shifted relative to one another.

6. A device according to claim 4, wherein a control for the piezo crystals in the three-dimensional array is provided, with which adjacent sound fields emanating from piezo crystals in a piezo crystal row in the array or sound fields emanating from adjacent piezo crystal rows in the array can be overlapped.

7. A device according to claim 4, wherein means are provided with which the object under examination and at least one transducer are shifted relative to one another.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein at least one motor drive is provided to shift the object under examination or at least one transducer relative to one another.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein a holding device, with which the object under examination is clamped, and a movable holding device for at least one transducer are provided.

10. A device according to claim 1, wherein an image evaluation system for data processing and image display is provided with which the quantification of bodies can be implemented by video densitometry.

11. A device according to claim 10, wherein the bodies are bubbles.

12. A method for ultrasonic diagnosis and/or ultrasonic therapy in a human or in an animal, comprising quantifying bodies in the human or in the animal with a device according to claim 1.

13. A method for in-vivo and ex-vivo mapping of physiologically upward- or downward-adjustable molecular markers in an organ or a tissue starting from postembryonic ontogenesis, for in-vivo and ex-vivo mapping of pathologically upward- or downward-adjustable molecular markers in an organ or a tissue during pathogenesis, or for the characterization of cell cultures by in-vitro mapping of upward- and downward-adjustable molecular markers in a cells. Comprising quantifying bodies that have one or more specific binding molecules for the markers with a device according to claim 1.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the bodies are bubbles.

15. A process for quantification of bodies that are contained in an object under examination, comprising

a) exciting bodies with an ultrasound field that are contained in a layer in the object under examination to produce characteristic ultrasonic signals,

b) receiving the ultrasonic signals,

c) determining the number of bodies from the ultrasonic signals that are received, and

d) after bodies are excited in a first layer in the object under examination, shifting the ultrasound field such that bubbles are excited after displacement into a second layer, whereby the first layer and the second layer overlap and are shifted relative to one another in a parallel and defined manner.

16. A process according to claim 15, wherein the bodies are bubbles.

17. A process according to claim 16, wherein the bubbles are destroyed when excited and are excited to emit the characteristic signals.

18. A process according to claim 15, wherein the ultrasound field is shifted by at least 5 μ

m.

19. A process according to claim 15, wherein the object under examination and at least one transducer that emits the ultrasound field are shifted relative to one another.

20. A process according to claim 19, wherein the object under examination is shifted relative to at least one fixed transducer or wherein at least one transducer is shifted relative to a fixed object under examination.

21. A process according to claim 15, wherein the object under examination is a human, an animal, an organ, a tissue or a cell.