IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2018 Aug;65(8):1304-1320. doi: 10.1109/TUFFC.2018.2850811. Epub 2018 Jun 26.
Because it drives the compromise between resolution and penetration, the diffraction limit has long represented an unreachable summit to conquer in ultrasound imaging. Within a few years after the introduction of optical localization microscopy, we proposed its acoustic alter ego that exploits the micrometric localization of microbubble contrast agents to reconstruct the finest vessels in the body in-depth. Various groups now working on the subject are optimizing the localization precision, microbubble separation, acquisition time, tracking, and velocimetry to improve the capacity of ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) to detect and distinguish vessels much smaller than the wavelength. It has since been used in vivo in the brain, the kidney, and tumors. In the clinic, ULM is bound to improve drastically our vision of the microvasculature, which could revolutionize the diagnosis of cancer, arteriosclerosis, stroke, and diabetes.
由于它在分辨率和穿透性之间进行了折衷，因此衍射极限长期以来一直是超声成像中无法企及的高峰。在光学定位显微镜问世后的几年内，我们提出了它的声学对应物，该对应物利用微泡造影剂的微观定位来深入重建体内最细的血管。现在从事该主题的各个小组正在优化定位精度，微泡分离，采集时间，跟踪和速度测量，以提高超声定位显微镜（ULM）检测和区分远小于波长的血管的能力。此后，它已在大脑，肾脏和肿瘤中在体内使用。在临床上，ULM 必将极大地改善我们对微血管的认识，从而彻底改变癌症，动脉粥样硬化，中风和糖尿病的诊断方式。
