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Hu H, Hu C, Guo W, Zhu B, Wang S. Wearable ultrasound devices: An emerging era for biomedicine and clinical translation. ULTRASONICS 2024; 142:107401. [PMID: 39004039 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2024.107401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, personalized diagnosis and treatment have gained significant recognition and rapid development in the biomedicine and healthcare. Due to the flexibility, portability and excellent compatibility, wearable ultrasound (WUS) devices have become emerging personalized medical devices with great potential for development. Currently, with the development of the ongoing advancements in materials and structural design of the ultrasound transducers, WUS devices have improved performance and are increasingly applied in the medical field. In this review, we provide an overview of the design and structure of WUS devices, focusing on their application for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases from a clinical application perspective, and then explore the issues that need to be addressed before clinical translation. Finally, we summarize the progress made in the development of WUS devices, and discuss the current challenges and the future direction of their development. In conclusion, WUS devices usher an emerging era for biomedicine with great clinical promise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyuan Hu
- Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, China; Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Research Center of Wuhan University, China; Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, China
| | - Changhao Hu
- Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, China; Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Research Center of Wuhan University, China; Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, China
| | - Wei Guo
- Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, China; Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Research Center of Wuhan University, China; Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, China
| | - Benpeng Zhu
- School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China.
| | - Songyun Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, China; Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Research Center of Wuhan University, China; Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, China.
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Riley MR, Roeder BM, Zinke W, Weisend MP, Eidum DM, Pinton GF, Biliroglu AO, Yamaner FY, Oralkan O, Hampson RE, Connolly PM. Activation of primate frontal eye fields with a CMUT phased array system. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 402:110009. [PMID: 37952832 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.110009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are pushes toward non-invasive stimulation of neural tissues to prevent issues that arise from invasive brain recordings and stimulation. Transcranial Focused Ultrasound (TFUS) has been examined as a way to stimulate non-invasively, but previous studies have limitations in the application of TFUS. As a result, refinement is needed to improve stimulation results. NEW METHOD We utilized a custom-built capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) that would send ultrasonic waves through skin and skull to targets located in the Frontal Eye Fields (FEF) region triangulated from co-registered MRI and CT scans while a non-human primate subject was performing a discrimination behavioral task. RESULTS We observed that the stimulation immediately caused changes in the local field potential (LFP) signal that continued until stimulation ended, at which point there was higher voltage upon the cue for the animal to saccade. This co-incided with increases in activity in the alpha band during stimulation. The activity rebounded mid-way through our electrode-shank, indicating a specific point of stimulation along the shank. We observed different LFP signals for different stimulation targets, indicating the ability to"steer" the stimulation through the transducer. We also observed a bias in first saccades towards the opposite direction. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, we provide a new approach for non-invasive stimulation during performance of a behavioral task. With the ability to steer stimulation patterns and target using a large amount of transducers, the ability to provide non-invasive stimulation will be greatly improved for future clinical and research applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brent M Roeder
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, United States
| | | | | | | | - Gianmarco F Pinton
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, United States
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Chang KW, Belekov E, Wang X, Wong KY, Oralkan Ö, Xu G. Photoacoustic imaging of visually evoked cortical and subcortical hemodynamic activity in mouse brain: feasibility study with piezoelectric and capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) arrays. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 14:6283-6290. [PMID: 38420324 PMCID: PMC10898584 DOI: 10.1364/boe.503475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the feasibility of capturing visually evoked hemodynamic responses in the mouse brain using photoacoustic tomography (PAT) and ultrasound (US) dual-modality imaging. A commercial piezoelectric transducer array and a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array were compared using a programmable PAT-US imaging system. The system resolution was measured by imaging phantoms. We also tested the ability of the system to capture visually evoked hemodynamic responses in the superior colliculus as well as the primary visual cortex in wild-type mice. Results show that the piezoelectric transducer array and the CMUT array exhibit comparable imaging performance, and both arrays can capture visually evoked hemodynamic responses in subcortical as well as cortical regions of the mouse brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Wei Chang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Ermek Belekov
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA
| | - Xueding Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Kwoon Y. Wong
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, USA
| | - Ömer Oralkan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA
| | - Guan Xu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, USA
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Rivandi H, Costa TL. A 2D Ultrasound Phased-Array Transmitter ASIC for High-Frequency US Stimulation and Powering. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS 2023; 17:701-712. [PMID: 37352088 DOI: 10.1109/tbcas.2023.3288891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Ultrasound (US) neuromodulation and ultrasonic power transfer to implanted devices demand novel ultrasound transmitters capable of steering focused ultrasound waves in 3D with high spatial resolution and US pressure, while having a miniaturized form factor. Meeting these requirements needs a 2D array of ultrasound transducers directly integrated with a high-frequency 2D phased-array ASIC. However, this imposes severe challenges on the design of the ASIC. In order to avoid the generation of grating lobes, the elements in the 2D phased-array should have a pitch of half of the ultrasound wavelength, which, as frequency increases, highly reduces the area available for the design of high-voltage beamforming channels. This article addresses these challenges by presenting the system-level optimization and implementation of a high-frequency 2D phased-array ASIC. The system-level study focuses on the optimization of the US transmitter toward high-frequency operation while minimizing power consumption. This study resulted in the implementation of two ASICs in TSMC 180 nm BCD technology: firstly, an individual beamforming channel was designed to demonstrate the tradeoffs between frequency, driving voltage, and beamforming capabilities. Finally, a 12-MHz pitch matched 12 × 12 phased-array ASIC working at 20-V amplitude and 3-bit phasing was designed and experimentally validated, to demonstrate high-frequency phased-array operation. The measurement results verify the phasing functionality of the ASIC with a maximum DNL of 0.35 LSB. The CMOS chip consumes 130 mW and 26.6 mW average power during the continuous pulsing and delivering 200-pulse bursts with a PRF of 1 kHz, respectively.
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Badadhe JD, Roh H, Lee BC, Kim JH, Im M. Ultrasound stimulation for non-invasive visual prostheses. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:971148. [PMID: 35990889 PMCID: PMC9382087 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.971148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, it is estimated there are more than 2.2 billion visually impaired people. Visual diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and optic neuritis can cause irreversible profound vision loss. Many groups have investigated different approaches such as microelectronic prostheses, optogenetics, stem cell therapy, and gene therapy to restore vision. However, these methods have some limitations such as invasive implantation surgery and unknown long-term risk of genetic manipulation. In addition to the safety of ultrasound as a medical imaging modality, ultrasound stimulation can be a viable non-invasive alternative approach for the sight restoration because of its ability to non-invasively control neuronal activities. Indeed, recent studies have demonstrated ultrasound stimulation can successfully modulate retinal/brain neuronal activities without causing any damage to the nerve cells. Superior penetration depth and high spatial resolution of focused ultrasound can open a new avenue in neuromodulation researches. This review summarizes the latest research results about neural responses to ultrasound stimulation. Also, this work provides an overview of technical viewpoints in the future design of a miniaturized ultrasound transducer for a non-invasive acoustic visual prosthesis for non-surgical and painless restoration of vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaya Dilip Badadhe
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyeonhee Roh
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- School of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Byung Chul Lee
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
- KHU-KIST Department of Converging Science and Technology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jae Hun Kim
- Sensor System Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Maesoon Im
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
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Lim J. Circuits on miniaturized ultrasound imaging system-on-a-chip: a review. Biomed Eng Lett 2022; 12:219-228. [PMID: 35892032 PMCID: PMC9308847 DOI: 10.1007/s13534-022-00228-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Trends of medical system move from a traditional in-person visit to virtual healthcare increases demands on point-of-care devices. Because ultrasound (US) is non-invasive, the demands highlight US imaging among other imaging modalities. Thanks to the development of US transducer technology, miniaturized US with application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) have been researched. For example, applications that require small aperture sizes such as intravascular US (IVUS) and intra-cardiac echocardiography (ICE) require integration of system-on-a-chip (SoC) on the transducer. This paper reviews circuit techniques on the transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) of the US imaging system. As TX circuits, pulser, T/RX switch, TX beamformer, and power management circuits are discussed. State-of-the-art transducer modeling, pre-amplifier, time-gain compensation, RX beamformer, quadrature sampler, and output driver are introduced as RX circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaemyung Lim
- Department of Electrical Engineering in Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
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Zhang Y, Demosthenous A. Integrated Circuits for Medical Ultrasound Applications: Imaging and Beyond. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS 2021; 15:838-858. [PMID: 34665739 DOI: 10.1109/tbcas.2021.3120886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Medical ultrasound has become a crucial part of modern society and continues to play a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. Over the past decades, the development of medical ultrasound has seen extraordinary progress as a result of the tremendous research advances in microelectronics, transducer technology and signal processing algorithms. However, medical ultrasound still faces many challenges including power-efficient driving of transducers, low-noise recording of ultrasound echoes, effective beamforming in a non-linear, high-attenuation medium (human tissues) and reduced overall form factor. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the design of integrated circuits for medical ultrasound applications. The most important and ubiquitous modules in a medical ultrasound system are addressed, i) transducer driving circuit, ii) low-noise amplifier, iii) beamforming circuit and iv) analog-digital converter. Within each ultrasound module, some representative research highlights are described followed by a comparison of the state-of-the-art. This paper concludes with a discussion and recommendations for future research directions.
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Seok C, Adelegan OJ, Biliroglu AO, Yamaner FY, Oralkan O. A Wearable Ultrasonic Neurostimulator-Part II: A 2D CMUT Phased Array System With a Flip-Chip Bonded ASIC. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS 2021; 15:705-718. [PMID: 34398764 DOI: 10.1109/tbcas.2021.3105064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A 2D ultrasonic array is the ultimate form of a focused ultrasonic system, which enables electronically focusing beams in a 3D space. A 2D array is also a versatile tool for various applications such as 3D imaging, high-intensity focused ultrasound, particle manipulation, and pattern generation. However, building a 2D system involves complicated technologies: fabricating a 2D transducer array, developing a pitch-matched ASIC, and interconnecting the transducer and the ASIC. Previously, we successfully demonstrated 2D capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) arrays using various fabrication technologies. In this paper, we present a 2D ultrasonic transmit phased array based on a 32 × 32 CMUT array flip-chip bonded to a pitch-matched pulser ASIC for ultrasonic neuromodulation. The ASIC consists of 32 × 32 unipolar high-voltage (HV) pulsers, each of which occupies an area of 250 μm × 250 μm. The phase of each pulser output is individually programmable with a resolution of 1/fC/16, where fC is less than 10 MHz. This enables the fine granular control of a focus. The ASIC was fabricated in the TSMC 0.18- μm HV BCD process within an area of 9.8 mm × 9.8 mm, followed by a wafer-level solder bumping process. After flip-chip bonding an ASIC and a CMUT array, we identified shorted elements in the CMUT array using the built-in test function in the ASIC, which took approximately 9 minutes to scan the entire 32 × 32 array. A compact-form-factor wireless neural stimulator system-only requiring a connected 15-V DC power supply-was also developed, integrating a power management unit, a clock generator, and a Bluetooth Low-Energy enabled microcontroller. The focusing and steering capability of the system in a 3D space is demonstrated, while achieving a spatial-peak pulse-average intensity ( ISPPA) of 12.4 and 33.1 W/ cm2; and a 3-dB focal volume of 0.2 and 0.05 mm3-at a depth of 5 mm-at 2 and 3.4 MHz, respectively. We also characterized transmission of ultrasound through a mouse skull and compensated the phase distortion due to the skull by using the programmable phase-delay function in the ASIC, achieving 10% improvement in pressure and a tighter focus. Finally, we demonstrated a ultrasonic arbitrary pattern generation on a 5 mm × 5 mm plane at a depth of 5 mm.
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