Applications of Ultrasound Localization Microscopy in Abdominal Imaging

doi:10.26599/AUDT.2025.250097

Abstract

Abstract:

Ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) is an ultrasound technique capable of overcoming the acoustic diffraction limit to achieve super resolution imaging of microvasculature, simultaneously balancing imaging depth and resolution. Abdominal organs are rich in microvasculature, and pathological processes in these organs are often accompanied by microvascular alterations, such as in tumors, chronic liver and kidney diseases, and allograft. Therefore, for abdominal organs, ULM represents a promising tool for aiding disease diagnosis and monitoring. Currently, an increasing number of studies are exploring the preclinical and clinical applications of ULM in both healthy and diseased abdominal organs. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of ULM applications in abdominal organs, while briefly discussing its limitations and future prospects.

Key words: Ultrasound localization microscopy; Abdominal organ; Imaging

Hou Wenfei, Chen Wanting, Liu Huazhen, Tang Jiajia, Yang Meng. Applications of Ultrasound Localization Microscopy in Abdominal Imaging. Advanced Ultrasound in Diagnosis and Therapy, 2025, 9(4): 347-356.

Figures/Tables 4

Table 1

Application of ultrasound localization microscopy in abdominal organs"

Condition	Organ	Imaging model	Applications
Healthy	Kidney	Rat	Imaging the microvasculature of the kidney and obtaining vascular parameters [21-24] Visualization of the glomerulus [25]
		Rabbit	Imaging the microvasculature of the kidney and obtaining vascular parameters [28]
		Pig	Imaging the microvasculature of the kidney and obtaining vascular parameters [27]
		Rhesus macaque	Imaging the microvasculature of the kidney and obtaining vascular parameters [29]
		Human	Visualization of the glomerulus [25] Exploring the trade-off between microbubble concentration and localization quality [27]
	Liver	Rat	Imaging the portal vein and its downstream vessels [30]
	Liver	Human	Imaging the microvasculature of the liver and obtaining vascular parameters [31,32]
	Pancreas	Rat	Imaging the microvasculature of the pancreas and obtaining vascular parameters [33]
	ovary	Sheep	Imaging the microvasculature of the ovary and obtaining vascular parameters [34]
Tumors	Kidney	Chicken embryo	Evaluating microvascular structure, hemodynamics, and hypoxia in renal cell carcinoma [38]
	Kidney	Human	Differential diagnosis of renal tumors and renal pseudotumors [39]
	Liver	Rabbit	Reconstructing the microvascular system of tumors and their surrounding tissues [41]
		Rat	Evaluating the early treatment outcomes of transarterial chemotherapy embolization [42]
		Human	Differentiation between hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic liver cancer, and focal nodular hyperplasia [43] Investigating the correlation between ultrasound localization microscopy vascular parameters and histological features [44] Spoke wheel sign imaging of focal nodular hyperplasia [45,46]
	Pancreas	Human	Imaging the microvasculature of pancreatic tumors and obtaining vascular parameters [32]
	Prostate	Human	Imaging the microvasculature of prostate cancer and obtaining vascular parameters [34,48,49]
Chronic disease	Kidney	Rat	Evaluating renal vascular changes induced by obesity hypertension [52] Evaluating renal vascular changes induced by obesity [53] Evaluating renal vascular changes induced by diabetes [54,55]
		Mouse	Early diagnosis of renal fibrosis [56]
		Human	Imaging microvasculature in chronic kidney disease and obtaining vascular parameters [57]
	Liver	Mouse	Diagnosis of liver fibrosis [58]
		Human	Microvascular imaging in liver failure [32]
		Minipig	Evaluating microvascular changes in fatty liver [59]
	Pancreas	Rat	Monitoring of pancreatic microvascular morphology and hemodynamics in diabetes [33]
Acute injury	Kidney	Rat	Monitoring microcirculation in acute kidney injury (AKI) [62]
		Mouse	Monitoring disease progression from AKI to chronic kidney disease [63] Monitoring microcirculation and hypoxia status in AKI [64]
		Human	Monitoring microcirculation in AKI [65]
Allograft	Kidney	Human	Imaging allografts and obtaining vascular parameters [66,68] Evaluating microvascular changes in transplant renal artery stenosis [67] Monitoring acute rejection and evaluating treatment efficacy [69]

Table 1

Figure 1

Figure 2

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