Ultrasound

3D ultrasound of the beating heart. The cardiac wall is semi-automatically segmented and tracked over time. Colors represent cardiac wall stress.

What is it?

Ultrasound (US) imaging measures the reflection of high-frequency (hence ultra) sound waves in biological tissue. Different tissue types reflect US waves differently, leading to an image. Ultrasound is a relatively cheap imaging modality that is considered totally harmless. Its main limitation is the limited depth (US waves hardly travel through bone or air). Recent improvements to ultrasound imaging include the use of contrast agents, intra-vascular ultrasound (IVUS) and 3D imaging.

Potential imaging biomarkers

• Cardiac function (including stress/strain)
• Vessel (wall) imaging
• Tumour vascularity (using contast agents)
• ...