title: High-resolution ultrasound imaging of human skin in vivo by using three-dimensional ultrasound microscopy.
abstract: Observing the morphology of human skin is important in the diagnosis of skin cancer and inflammation and in the assessment of skin aging. High-frequency ultrasound imaging provides high spatial resolution of the deep layers of the skin, which cannot be visualized by optical methods. The objectives of the present study were to develop a three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound microscope and to observe the morphology of normal human skin in vivo. A concave polyvinylidene fluoride transducer with a central frequency of 120 MHz was excited using an electric pulse generated by semiconductor switching. The transducer was scanned two-dimensionally by using two linear motors on the region-of-interest and the ultrasonic reflection was digitized with 2-GHz sampling. Consecutive B-mode images perpendicular to the skin surface were reconstructed to generate multiplanar reconstructed images and 3-D volume-rendering images clearly showing microstructures such as sebaceous glands and hair follicles. The 3-D ultrasound microscope could be used to successfully image the morphology of human skin noninvasively and may provide important information on skin structure.
authors: Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors: Kazutoshi
authors: K
authors: Kumagai
authors: Hideyuki
authors: H
authors: Koike
authors: Ryo
authors: R
authors: Nagaoka
authors: Shingo
authors: S
authors: Sakai
authors: Kazuto
authors: K
authors: Kobayashi
authors: Yoshifumi
authors: Y
authors: Saijo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D046169:Dermoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D033401:Microscopy, Acoustic / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*