University of Texas at Arlington, Ultrasound and Optical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Arlington, Texas, United StatesbUniversity of Texas at Arlington and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, Dallas, Texas, United States.
J Biomed Opt. 2017 Jul 1;22(7):76021. doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.22.7.076021.
Simultaneously achieving high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (or sensitivity) and high resolution is desired in biomedical imaging. However, conventional imaging modality has a tradeoff between SNR (or sensitivity) and resolution. We developed a method to simultaneously achieve high SNR (or sensitivity) and high resolution for fluorescence imaging in deep tissue. We first introduce a recently developed deep-tissue high-resolution imaging technique termed as ultrasound-switchable fluorescence (USF). An approach of modulating ultrasound exposure time is adopted to increase the detectability of the USF signal. The control parameters of modulation of ultrasound—such as (1) frequency, (2) duty cycle, and (3) exposure duration—are varied to study their influence on the USF signal and SNR. We conclude that high SNR can be achieved by modulating ultrasound exposure without sacrificing the spatial resolution. This is important for future fluorescence molecular imaging of cancer in deep tissue.
在生物医学成像中，同时实现高信噪比（SNR）（或灵敏度）和高分辨率是人们所期望的。然而，传统的成像模式在 SNR（或灵敏度）和分辨率之间存在权衡。我们开发了一种在深层组织中同时实现高 SNR（或灵敏度）和高分辨率的荧光成像方法。我们首先介绍一种最近开发的用于深层组织高分辨率成像的技术，称为超声可切换荧光（USF）。采用调制超声曝光时间的方法来提高 USF 信号的可检测性。调制超声的控制参数（如 1）频率、2）占空比和 3）曝光时间）会发生变化，以研究它们对 USF 信号和 SNR 的影响。我们得出的结论是，通过调制超声曝光可以实现高 SNR，而不会牺牲空间分辨率。这对于未来在深层组织中进行癌症的荧光分子成像具有重要意义。
