Optimized noninvasive monitoring of thermal changes on digital B-mode renal sonography during revascularization therapy.
OBJECTIVE
Noninvasive real-time thermal change monitoring of human internal organs can play a critical role in diagnosis and treatment of many disorders, including reperfusion of renal arteries during anticoagulation therapy.


METHODS
This article focuses on tissue temperature detection using ultrasound velocity changes in different structures and their related speckle shift from their primary locations on high-quality B-mode digital sonography. We evaluated different speckle-tracking techniques and optimized them using appropriate motion estimation methods to determine the best algorithm and parameters.


RESULTS
Performing thermal detection methods on simulated phantoms showed a good correlation between speckle shifts and the ground truth temperature. For the simulated images, average thermal error was 0.5 degrees C with an SD of 0.5 degrees C, where lower errors can be obtained in noiseless (motionless) data. The proposed technique was evaluated on real in vivo cases during surgical occlusion and reopening of the renal segmental artery and showed the potential of the algorithm for observation of internal organ changes using only digital ultrasound systems for diagnosis and therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
The adaptive Rood pattern search proved to be the best block-matching technique, whereas the multiresolution Horn-Schunck technique was the best gradient optical flow method. The extracted thermal change during in vivo revascularization therapy is promising. In addition, we present an evaluation of several block-matching and optical flow motion estimation techniques.
Abolhassani
Mohammad D
MD
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Tavakoli
Vahid
V
Sahba
Nima
N
D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D013817:Thermography / Q000379:methods*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*