document

Optimization of Microbubble Concentration and Acoustic Pressure for Left Ventricular High Frame Rate EchoPIV in Patients

Voorneveld, J.D. (author), Keijzer, L.B.H. (author), Strachinaru, Mihai (author), Bowen, Daniel J. (author), Mutluer, Ferit O. (author), van der Steen, A.F.W. (author), Ten Cate, Folkert (author), de Jong, N. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Van den Bosch, Annemien E. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author)

High-frame-rate (HFR) echo-particle image velocimetry (echoPIV) is a promising tool for measuring intracardiac blood flow dynamics. In this study, we investigate the optimal ultrasound contrast agent (UCA: SonoVue) infusion rate and acoustic output to use for HFR echoPIV (PRF = 4900 Hz) in the left ventricle (LV) of patients. Three infusion...

journal article 2021

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High Frame Rate Volumetric Imaging of Microbubbles Using a Sparse Array and Spatial Coherence Beamforming

Wei, Luxi (author), Wahyulaksana, G. (author), Meijlink, Bram (author), Ramalli, Alessandro (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), van der Steen, A.F.W. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Vos, H.J. (author)

Volumetric ultrasound imaging of blood flow with microbubbles enables a more complete visualization of the microvasculature. Sparse arrays are ideal candidates to perform volumetric imaging at reduced manufacturing complexity and cable count. However, due to the small number of transducer elements, sparse arrays often come with high clutter...

journal article 2021

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Combining ultrafast ultrasound and high-density EMG to assess local electromechanical muscle dynamics: a feasibility study

Waasdorp, R. (author), Mugge, W. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), De Groot, Jurriaan H. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Schouten, A.C. (author), Daeichin, V. (author)

Skeletal muscles generate force, enabling movement through a series of fast electro-mechanical activations coordinated by the central nervous system. Understanding the underlying mechanism of such fast muscle dynamics is essential in neuromuscular diagnostics, rehabilitation medicine and sports biomechanics. The unique combination of...

journal article 2021

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Higher Order Singular Value Decomposition Filter for Contrast Echocardiography

Wahyulaksana, G. (author), Wei, Luxi (author), Voorneveld, J.D. (author), Hekkert, Maaike Te Lintel (author), Strachinaru, Mihai (author), Duncker, Dirk J. (author), de Jong, N. (author), van der Steen, A.F.W. (author), Vos, H.J. (author)

Assessing the coronary circulation with contrast-enhanced echocardiography has high clinical relevance. However, it is not being routinely performed in clinical practice because the current clinical tools generally cannot provide adequate image quality. The contrast agent's visibility in the myocardium is generally poor, impaired by motion...

journal article 2023

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Modelling Lamb waves in the septal wall of the heart

Sabbadini, A. (author), Caenen, A.F.M. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) has been proposed to investigate cardiac health by non-invasively monitoring tissue stiffness. Previous work has shown that the plate-like geometry of the Interventricular Septum (IVS) may result in a dispersion similar to Lamb waves, complicating the link between shear wave speed and cardiac stiffness. However, the...

journal article 2019

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A direct comparison of natural and acoustic-radiation-force-induced cardiac mechanical waves

Keijzer, Lana B.H. (author), Caenen, A.F.M. (author), Voorneveld, J.D. (author), Strachinaru, Mihai (author), Bowen, Daniel J. (author), van der Steen, A.F.W. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Vos, H.J. (author)

Natural and active shear wave elastography (SWE) are potential ultrasound-based techniques to non-invasively assess myocardial stiffness, which could improve current diagnosis of heart failure. This study aims to bridge the knowledge gap between both techniques and discuss their respective impacts on cardiac stiffness evaluation. We recorded...

journal article 2020

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Tapering of the interventricular septum can affect ultrasound shear wave elastography: An in vitro and in silico study

Sabbadini, A. (author), Caenen, A.F.M. (author), Keijzer, L.B.H. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Shear wave elastography (SWE) has the potential to determine cardiac tissue stiffness from non-invasive shear wave speed measurements, important, e.g., for predicting heart failure. Previous studies showed that waves traveling in the interventricular septum (IVS) may display Lamb-like dispersive behaviour, introducing a thickness-frequency...

journal article 2021

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Spatiotemporal Distribution of Nanodroplet Vaporization in a Proton Beam Using Real-Time Ultrasound Imaging for Range Verification

Collado Lara, G. (author), Heymans, Sophie V. (author), Rovituso, M. (author), Carlier, Bram (author), Toumia, Yosra (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Daeichin, V. (author)

The potential of proton therapy to improve the conformity of the delivered dose to the tumor volume is currently limited by range uncertainties. Injectable superheated nanodroplets have recently been proposed for ultrasound-based in vivo range verification, as these vaporize into echogenic microbubbles on proton irradiation. In previous...

journal article 2021

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A Pitch-Matched Transceiver ASIC With Shared Hybrid Beamforming ADC for High-Frame-Rate 3-D Intracardiac Echocardiography

Hopf, Y.M. (author), Ossenkoppele, Boudewine W. (author), Soozande, Mehdi (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Chen, Chao (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

In this article, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for 3-D, high-frame-rate ultrasound imaging probes is presented. The design is the first to combine element-level, high-voltage (HV) transmitters and analog front-ends, subarray beamforming, and in-probe digitization in a scalable fashion for catheter-based probes. The...

journal article 2022

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Design of an ultrasound transceiver asic with a switching-artifact reduction technique for 3D carotid artery imaging

Kim, Taehoon (author), Fool, F. (author), Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This paper presents an ultrasound transceiver application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) directly integrated with an array of 12 × 80 piezoelectric transducer elements to enable next-generation ultrasound probes for 3D carotid artery imaging. The ASIC, implemented in a 0.18 µm high-voltage Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (HV BCD) process, adopted a...

journal article 2021

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A Pitch-Matched Low-Noise Analog Front-End With Accurate Continuous Time-Gain Compensation for High-Density Ultrasound Transducer Arrays

Guo, P. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This article presents a compact analog front-end (AFE) circuit for ultrasound receivers with linear-in-dB continuous gain control for time-gain compensation (TGC). The AFE consists of two variable-gain stages, both of which employ a novel complementary current-steering network (CCSN) as the interpolator to realize continuously variable gain....

journal article 2022

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An Ultrasound Matrix Transducer for High-Frame-Rate 3-D Intra-cardiac Echocardiography

Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Hopf, Y.M. (author), Soozande, Mehdi (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author)

Objective: Described here is the development of an ultrasound matrix transducer prototype for high-frame-rate 3-D intra-cardiac echocardiography. Methods: The matrix array consists of 16 × 18 lead zirconate titanate elements with a pitch of 160 µm × 160 µm built on top of an application-specific integrated circuit that generates transmission...

journal article 2024

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Automatic Max-Likelihood Envelope Detection Algorithm for Quantitative High-Frame-Rate Ultrasound for Neonatal Brain Monitoring

Kortenbout, A.J. (author), Costerus, Sophie (author), Dudink, Jeroen (author), de Jong, N. (author), de Graaff, Jurgen C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author)

Objective: Post-operative brain injury in neonates may result from disturbed cerebral perfusion, but accurate peri-operative monitoring is lacking. High-frame-rate (HFR) cerebral ultrasound could visualize and quantify flow in all detectable vessels using spectral Doppler; however, automated quantification in small vessels is challenging...

journal article 2024

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Acoustic streaming-based calibration of ultrasound transducers

Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Baldini, L.B. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author)

The accurate determination of the transfer function of ultrasound transducers is important for their design and operational performance. However, conventional methods for quantifying the transfer function, such as hydrophone measurements, radiation force balance, and pulse-echo measurements, are costly and complex due to specialized equipment...

journal article 2024

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A Compact Integrated High-Voltage Pulser Insensitive to Supply Transients for 3-D Miniature Ultrasound Probes

Hopf, Y.M. (author), Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Soozande, M. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

In this letter, a compact high-voltage (HV) transmit circuit for dense 2-D transducer arrays used in 3-D ultrasonic imaging systems is presented. Stringent area requirements are addressed by a unipolar pulser with embedded transmit/receive switch. Combined with a capacitive HV level shifter, it forms the ultrasonic HV...

journal article 2022

document

A Pitch-Matched High-Frame-Rate Ultrasound Imaging ASIC for Catheter-Based 3-D Probes

Hopf, Y.M. (author), Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Ossenkoppele, Boudewine W. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Chen, Chao (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This article presents an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for catheter-based 3-D ultrasound imaging probes. The pitch-matched design implements a comprehensive architecture with high-voltage (HV) transmitters, analog front ends, hybrid beamforming analog-To-digital converters (ADCs), and data transmission to the imaging system....

journal article 2024

document

High-Frame-Rate Volumetric Porcine Renal Vasculature Imaging

Wei, Luxi (author), Wahyulaksana, G. (author), Boni, Enrico (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Duncker, Dirk J. (author), Tortoli, Piero (author), van der Steen, A.F.W. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Vos, H.J. (author)

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and imaging options of contrast-enhanced volumetric ultrasound kidney vasculature imaging in a porcine model using a prototype sparse spiral array. Methods: Transcutaneous freehand in vivo imaging of two healthy porcine kidneys was performed according to three protocols with...

journal article 2023

document

Continuous shear wave measurements for dynamic cardiac stiffness evaluation in pigs

Caenen, Annette (author), Keijzer, Lana (author), Bézy, Stéphanie (author), Duchenne, Jürgen (author), Orlowska, Marta (author), van der Steen, A.F.W. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Voigt, Jens Uwe (author), D’hooge, Jan (author), Vos, H.J. (author)

Ultrasound-based shear wave elastography is a promising technique to non-invasively assess the dynamic stiffness variations of the heart. The technique is based on tracking the propagation of acoustically induced shear waves in the myocardium of which the propagation speed is linked to tissue stiffness. This measurement is repeated multiple...

journal article 2023

document

Sparse 2-D PZT-on-PCB Arrays With Density Tapering

Wei, Luxi (author), Boni, Enrico (author), Ramalli, Alessandro (author), Fool, F. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), van der Steen, A.F.W. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Tortoli, Piero (author), de Jong, N. (author), Vos, H.J. (author)

Two-dimensional (2-D) arrays offer volumetric imaging capabilities without the need for probe translation or rotation. A sparse array with elements seeded in a tapering spiral pattern enables one-to-one connection to an ultrasound machine, thus allowing flexible transmission and reception strategies. To test the concept of sparse spiral array...

journal article 2022

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Imaging Scheme for 3-D High-Frame-Rate Intracardiac Echography: A Simulation Study

Soozande, Mehdi (author), Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Hopf, Y.M. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author)

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is normally treated by RF ablation. Intracardiac echography (ICE) is widely employed during RF ablation procedures to guide the electrophysiologist in navigating the ablation catheter, although only 2-D probes are currently clinically used. A 3-D ICE catheter would not only...

journal article 2022