Integrated processing of contrast pulse sequencing ultrasound imaging for enhanced active contrast of hollow gas filled silica nanoshells and microshells.

In recent years, there have been increasing developments in the field of contrast-enhanced ultrasound both in the creation of new contrast agents and in imaging modalities. These contrast agents have been employed to study tumor vasculature in order to improve cancer detection and diagnosis. An in vivo study is presented of ultrasound imaging of gas filled hollow silica microshells and nanoshells which have been delivered intraperitoneally to an IGROV-1 tumor bearing mouse. In contrast to microbubbles, this formulation of microshells provided strong ultrasound imaging signals by shell disruption and release of gas. Imaging of the microshells in an animal model was facilitated by novel image processing. Although the particle signal could be identified by eye under live imaging, high background obfuscated the particle signal in still images and near the borders of the tumor with live images. Image processing techniques were developed that employed the transient nature of the particle signal to selectively filter out the background signal. By applying image registration, high-pass, median, threshold, and motion filtering, a short video clip of the particle signal was compressed into a single image, thereby resolving the silica shells within the tumor. © 2012 American Vacuum Society.