Airborne Ultrasound Surface Motion Camera: Application to Transfer Admittance Chest Imaging

Lung mechanics are heterogeneous in virtually all respiratory diseases. Spatially mapping this heterogeneity without ionizing radiation and at bedside is not feasible with current techniques. Here, we use an Airborne Ultrasound Surface Motion Camera (AUSMC) to map the local transfer admittance of the respiratory system, in response to an oscillatory pressure source at the mouth. As a proof of concept, the local admittance maps are shown for two individuals: a COPD patient and an age-matched healthy subject. The system measures a far lower transfer admittance in the subject with COPD compared to the normal control. The consistency of this result is tested comparing interquartile ranges of the regional transfer admittance and impedance of 6 COPD patients vs 6 healthy subjects. Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06661200. Registered on October 17^th 2024.