Human brain hemodynamics for 3D ultrasound localization microscopy benchmarking

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Medical Ultrasound
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) offers subwavelength resolution for microvascular imaging.
• Clinical translation of 3D ULM for complex organs like the brain faces challenges including probe design, motion artifacts, and skull-induced acoustic issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a fast, versatile simulation framework for 3D ULM.
• To model realistic human brain vasculature and hemodynamics.
• To enable optimization of ULM systems for transcranial imaging.

Main Methods:

• Created a 3D ULM simulation framework using a realistic human brain vasculature model with hemodynamics.
• Incorporated microbubble (MB) concentration, motion artifacts, and skull aberrations.
• Evaluated different matrix array probe configurations and ULM parameters.

Main Results:

• Simulations assessed localization accuracy, tracking, velocity distribution, and field of view.
• Confirmed negative impacts of high MB concentration and motion artifacts on detection.
• Demonstrated significant effects of skull-induced aberrations on transcranial imaging.

Conclusions:

• The developed framework is a robust tool for testing and optimizing 3D ULM systems.
• It facilitates the comparison of probe configurations and experimental parameters.
• Potential applications extend to other organs and clinical scenarios beyond the brain.