Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 5, 2026
Non-invasive Parenchymal, Vascular and Metabolic High-frequency Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Rat Deep Brain Imaging
Published on: March 2, 2015
Where no sound wave has gone before: first high-resolution transcranial images of the brain using ultrasound computed
Thomas J Marini1, Trevor Mitcham1, Rehman Ali1
1University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Background:
Point-of-care imaging of the brain is a major unmet need. Attenuation of ultrasound by the skull hinders sonographic evaluation of the brain in adults.
Purpose:
Ultrasound tomography holds potential in sonographic imaging of the brain through the skull. This work assesses the ability of a commercial ultrasound tomography machine to image the human brain.
Materials And Methods:
A cadaveric specimen was prospectively imaged in the SoftVue commercial ultrasound tomography machine from August to September 2025. A neurosurgeon placed a 40-cc water-filled inclusion in the left cerebral hemisphere intended to mimic hemorrhage. Ultrasound tomography was obtained before and after the inclusion placement without and with an intervening cadaver skull. Fellowship trained neuroradiologists assessed the images for quality and visualization of key anatomic structures and inclusions. Sound speed values, signal-to-noise ratios, and contrast-to-noise ratios were also calculated on the acquired images.
Results:
Ultrasound tomography allowed visualization of basic brain anatomy without a skull. The spatial resolution of the images without the skull was approximately 0.75 mm. Additionally, the implanted water-filled inclusion mimicking hemorrhage was visualized through the skull per neuroradiologist assessment. The implanted inclusion could also be quantitatively identified as different from the surrounding normal anatomy.
Conclusion:
Ultrasound tomography allowed visualization of major brain anatomy and a water-filled inclusion mimicking hemorrhage in the brain parenchyma demonstrating potential utility in neuroimaging. Ultrasound tomographic images through the skull visualizing the water-filled inclusion mimicking hemorrhage were also obtained showing the potential value of ultrasound tomography in intact samples.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Ultrasonography
During an ultrasonography procedure, a handheld device called a...
01:10Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
01:14Brain Imaging
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
01:20Ultrasound I: Abdominal Ultrasonography
Abdominal ultrasonography, commonly known as abdominal ultrasound, is a vital, non-invasive medical imaging technique widely used in healthcare.
Procedure:
This diagnostic tool allows the clinician to visually inspect internal structures within the abdomen, including vital organs such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, and spleen.
The abdominal ultrasound process begins with applying a special gel to the patient's skin over the abdomen. This gel enhances the...