Clinical Application of Ultrasound Tomography in Diagnosis of Musculoskeletal Diseases

doi:10.37015/AUDT.2024.230060

Advanced Ultrasound in Diagnosis and Therapy ›› 2024, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (1): 7-14.doi: 10.37015/AUDT.2024.230060

• Original Research • Previous Articles Next Articles

Clinical Application of Ultrasound Tomography in Diagnosis of Musculoskeletal Diseases

Cong Wei, MD^a,1, Hui Zhang, PhD^c,1, Tao Ying, MD^a, Bing Hu, MD^a, Yini Chen, MD^a, Hongtao Li, MD^b, Qiude Zhang, PhD^c, Mingyue Ding, PhD^c, Jie Chen, MD^a^,^*(), Ming Yuchi, PhD^c^,^*, Yuanyi Zheng, MD^a^,^*

^aDepartment of Medical Ultrasound, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, Shanghai, China
^bDepartment of Oncology in Medicine, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
^cDepartment of Bio-medical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

Received:2023-12-11 Accepted:2024-01-04 Online:2024-03-30 Published:2024-02-04
Contact: Department of Bio-medical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, China (M. YC); Department of Medical Ultrasound, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai, China (J. C and Y. Z).email: zhengyuanyi@163.com (Y.Z),
About author:First author contact:¹ C.W. and H.Z. contributed equally to this study.

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Abstract

Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and capability of UT in detecting musculoskeletal system lesions in the limbs and to explore its image quality.

Materials and Methods The Institutional Review Board has approved this prospective single-center study. This study included participants with various musculoskeletal and neurologic disorders in the limbs who provided written consent from October 2022 to April 2023. In addition to other radiological examinations (X-rays, CT, or MRI) and conventional handheld ultrasound scans requested by clinicians based on the conditions, each participant also underwent UT scanning using our developed limb ultrasound imaging system during the same period. Four radiologists and ultrasound physicians with more than five years of experience in musculoskeletal diagnostics analyzed the two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of the examination area.

Results Overall, 50 participants were evaluated (mean age, 36 years ± 18 [SD]; 26 males). The conditions included musculoskeletal tumors (n = 10), postoperative follow-up of musculoskeletal tumors (n = 20), peripheral nerve disorders in the limbs (n = 10) and postoperative pain in orthopedic surgery (n = 10). In all UT images, the region of interest was completely displayed, and internal structures such as muscles and nerves were clearly visible. Compared to conventional ultrasound images, the reconstructed three-dimensional images intuitively displayed the relationship between the lesions and surrounding tissues. Furthermore, UT did not exhibit metal artifacts when observing soft tissues around metallic implants, providing more comprehensive soft tissue information and more intuitive stereoscopic images.

Conclusion Clinical results of the UT system have demonstrated its feasibility as an automated and standardized imaging technique for musculoskeletal imaging, providing a new imaging modality for the diagnosis of musculoskeletal diseases in the human body.

Key words: Ultrasound tomography; Musculoskeletal imaging; Tumors; Arthroplasty; Neuropathy

Cong Wei, MD, Hui Zhang, PhD, Tao Ying, MD, Bing Hu, MD, Yini Chen, MD, Hongtao Li, MD, Qiude Zhang, PhD, Mingyue Ding, PhD, Jie Chen, MD, Ming Yuchi, PhD, Yuanyi Zheng, MD. Clinical Application of Ultrasound Tomography in Diagnosis of Musculoskeletal Diseases. Advanced Ultrasound in Diagnosis and Therapy, 2024, 8(1): 7-14.

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References 20

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Characteristic	Value (n = 50)
Age (y)^*	36 ± 18 (11-69)
Sex
M	26 (52)
F	24 (48)
Indication for UT examination
Musculoskeletal tumors	10 (20)
Peripheral nerve disorders	10 (20)
Postoperative follow-up of tumors	20 (40)
Postoperative pain following orthopedic implant surgery	10 (20)

Clinical Application of Ultrasound Tomography in Diagnosis of Musculoskeletal Diseases

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